Singer-songwriter Jenn Hartmann Luck joins with 11-year-old entrepreneur Kate Gilman Williams to proclaim, "Kids Can Save Animals."
By Brianna Salinas, Photos courtesy of Jenn Hartmann Luck
Jenn Hartmann Luck is a singer, songwriter and lecturer in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.A. in theater from Arizona State University and an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from the University of Texas at Austin.
On March 19, Luck released the music video for “Kids Can Save Animals”; she boasts writing, singing and guitar credits on the song. Throughout the video, she plays the guitar with ease and belts out lyrics to inspire the viewer to help the animals she champions.
The song begins with a chorus of children harmoniously singing together. Luck joins in their chorus of “La-la-la,” pushing the audience to sing along as well. The video switches from projections of endangered species on the wall to Luck singing and playing the guitar to smiling children dancing and singing in front of colorful backgrounds.
Jenn Hartmann Luck Meets Kate Gilman Williams
“Kids Can Save Animals” features 11-year-old Kate Gilman Williams, who sings and dances throughout the entirety of the video. The young entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Kids Can Save Animals, the organization for which the song was named. The organization was founded to inspire younger generations to advocate for the treatment and conservation of wildlife.
Luck’s lyrics inspire a need to help animals. “Too many lost by human greed, too many lost senselessly.”
Williams follows these lyrics with devastating statistics on elephants and northern white rhinos. “Animals can’t speak for themselves, but we can be their voice,” Williams states. The colorful ensembles the dancing children wear, along with the vibrant background colors, contrast with Williams’ grave statistics. The juxtaposition of colorful screens and eye-opening statistics brings the viewer back to focus on the cause at hand.
Luck and Williams have created a song of empowerment for adults and children alike. The song focuses on the advocacy for animal rights and brings attention to its severity.
"Advocacy has no age limit!"
“Kids Can Save Animals” was made in partnership with Re:wild. This conservation group works to preserve and save untouched lands and threatened species. Every time someone downloads the song, 15% of the proceeds go to Re:wild to fund their efforts.
The video ends with a compilation of footage of Williams’ own efforts helping release animals back into their natural habitat. While the children get together to do one last choreographed dance, Williams looks to the camera and exclaims, “Advocacy has no age limit!”
With such a noble cause and an artistic display of advocacy, Luck has successfully directed and produced a video well worth a watch. If the song and video are any indication of the next generation and their animal conservation efforts, we’re on the right track to saving more animals.
