“Piggie Bear and The Lost Star” Named Silver Telly Winner for Social Video/Art Direction in the 45th

Extraordinary Lives Foundation announced that its short-animated film “Piggie Bear and The Lost Star” received the Silver Telly award for Social Video/Art Direction in the recent 45th annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks and production companies.

Produced by Erick Tran of CHAVVO Animation Studios, the film follows the adventures of Piggie Bear, the character created by the nonprofit Extraordinary Lives Foundation to help children develop their emotional intelligence, while teaching Piggie Bear’s deep belly breathing technique to self-regulate their emotions.

“We are absolutely over-the-moon thrilled to announce that our film ‘Piggie Bear and The Lost Star’ was awarded the highly coveted Telly Award,” said Extraordinary Lives Founder/CEO Mara James.

The film was selected from over 13,000 entries and deemed as one of the most innovative stories being told across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries from 50 states and five continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks. More information can be found at the Telly Awards press center.

About Extraordinary Lives Foundation (ELF)

Founded in 2015, ELF's mission is to improve children’s mental health and emotional wellness by providing awareness, educational tools and supportive resources. The nonprofit encourages families to recognize symptoms, overcome mental health stigmas, and reach out for help. They believe that through early intervention, many of the major problems facing today’s youth can be transformed within this generation. The Piggie Bear character was created by organization founder Mara James to help increase a child’s emotional intelligence and their Piggie BEAR (Building Emotional Awareness & Resilience) tools kits are used throughout their programs and during Children’s Emotional Wellness Weeks in low-income schools. For more information, visit https://www.elfempowers.org/.

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An image from the film "Piggie Bear and The Lost Star"Photo byExtraordinary Lives Foundation

Extraordinary Lives Founder Mara James and Film Producer Erick TranPhoto byExtraordinary Lives Foundation