The “Game of Thrones” just got real. Sure, they are always duking it out in a fictional fantasy series, one that discusses warfare, but now, the entire cast is utilizing their fame and popularity to raise awareness for a real-life problem: refugees.
The entire cast will appear in public service announcements that started to air on Monday (March 21). They all got together to raise support for the International Rescue Committee, which aids refugees around the world. Though the advertisements will only be shown on the Internet, they should still gain attention, since millions of users access YouTube.
According to the The New York Times, the campaign will last through the sixth season of the show, and aiming to reach $1 million. This will give the advertisement access to a larger audience, as the trailer for the new season of Game of Thrones has been viewed 32 million times in just 24 hours. The new season premieres April 24.
Using celebrities and actors for public service announcements is not a new idea. It was done back in 2014, after the Newtown mass shootings shocked the world. A PSA, featuring actors like Amy Poehler, Tiny Fey, and Aziz Ansari, went viral as they all advocated for gun control.
With these videos, PSAs tend to get more attention and traffic, as well as more people working to raise awareness and donate to a certain cause.
“This is no fiction,” DeObia Oparei (Areo Hotah) says in the first PSA.
Others follow, pointing out that “60 million people are displaced worldwide,” as well as the fact that this problem goes beyond just Syria.
HBO’s creative services team filmed the first public service announcement featuring the Game of Thrones cast, and Omaze.com, which is running the campaign, plans to release three more videos online.
You can check out Omaze’s official website to learn more about the campaign. If anyone donates $10 to the IRC, they will be entered to win two tickets to the season premiere. There are other prizes, such as T-shirts and raffles, that are available with certain donations.
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