Dnipro Kids • Sunshine on Leith

Dnipro Kids is a charity rooted in the Hibernian FC community. It began in 2005 after a group of Hibs supporters visited an orphanage in Dnipro, Ukraine. What started as a visit became a long-term commitment.

In February 2022, during Russia’s full-scale invasion, the charity helped evacuate 52 children and their carers from Ukraine to Scotland. Support continues for families in Scotland and in Ukraine.

The brief had two parts:

1. Develop a feature documentary that tells the story with care, dignity, and real Ukrainian–Scottish collaboration.
2. Create a public-facing campaign moment that raises awareness and funds, with a simple way for people to support.

As we shaped the documentary, one idea kept coming back. If this story is Scotland–Ukraine at its core, the soundtrack should reflect that too.

With the support and blessing of The Proclaimers, we reimagined Sunshine on Leith as a Scottish–Ukrainian collaboration, bringing together:

• Traditional Ukrainian instruments and voices
• Scottish vocal performance
• Musicians connected to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

It quickly became clear this was bigger than a film element. It could carry fundraising on its own. We released it as a standalone charity single, digital plus limited edition vinyl, with proceeds going to Dnipro Kids.

Pre-production

We started with the same discipline we apply to any campaign. Clarify the message, build a simple path for supporters, remove friction.

Key decisions:

• Charity-first comms strategy (the release leads, the documentary supports the wider story)
• Rollout plan that partners could share without extra admin
• A clear home for the campaign, including revitalising Dnipro Kids’ social presence and building momentum ahead of the documentary

Musically, the work was about trust and collaboration. We worked with Ukrainian composer and arranger Bohdan Ilnytskyi, who brought together an exceptional collective at the RCS: strings, choir, traditional instrumentation, rhythm section, and Ukrainian vocal performance.

On the Scottish side, we brought Luke La Volpe into the project to help anchor the collaboration and carry the emotional weight of the song.

Visually, we worked with Liam Bonar / LBD Studio and Edinburgh College of Art students to develop design assets inspired by Ukrainian vyshyvanka patterns. The goal was a sleeve design that felt respectful and worth owning.

Production

Production ran across three strands:

1) Documentary capture
We filmed pillar interviews in a calm studio setup, designed around comfort and safety. These interviews form the backbone of the film’s retrospective structure.

2) Music recording
Recorded at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, capturing the collaboration as it happened. The most powerful moments were human, not performative, hearing the track build layer by layer.

3) Campaign assets
We produced a suite of social-first deliverables: launch reels, behind-the-scenes content, supporter vox pops, and a full official music video. We also built assets for partners including Hibernian FC, helping the campaign travel beyond existing networks.

Post-production

Post focused on clarity and momentum.

• Messaging stayed simple, with quick hooks and one consistent story thread across channels.
• Cutdowns were designed for social discovery, while the full music video acted as the hero asset.
• We built an asset system that made partner sharing easy.

On the physical release, we supported design and approvals through to pressing with Sea Bass Vinyl, keeping it premium and purposeful.

Deliverables (what the client received)

• Official music video (hero)
• Social cut-downs (reels, BTS, vox pops)
• Studio interview films for documentary development
• Photography set for campaign and press
• Partner asset pack for sharing (Hibs and other amplifiers)
• Vinyl and release support assets (artwork, approvals, production coordination)

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The result

The response showed what happens when a story belongs to a community.

• Vinyl sold out in a week
• Thousands of views and high engagement across social channels
• Funds raised for Dnipro Kids
• Renewed awareness ahead of the feature documentary

This wasn’t built as a one-off moment. It’s part of a longer arc, helping Dnipro Kids reconnect with existing supporters and reach new ones in Scotland, the football community, and beyond.

If you need a campaign film that travels, and assets your partners will actually share, send us the brief!