National Sikh Campaign pairs with popular show Funny or Die to raise awareness

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The National Sikh Campaign is partnering with Funny or Die, to make a video focused on the Indian-Americans of the Sikh faith. Funny or Die is a leading online comedy company which scored big when it ran an interview with President Obama in a ‘between two ferns’ episode.

“Our goal is to spread awareness about Sikh Americans, that they have the same values as other Americans. And also about what the turban really means,” Anjleen Sachdev, told News India Times.

The video is aimed at helping share the Sikh community’s values and comedically address common misperceptions that it faces, a press release from the NSC said.

“Unfortunately, Sikh Americans rarely appear in mainstream entertainment and our roles are usually limited to “exotic” background characters,” the Campaign said.

Sachdev said the partnership with Funny or Die will help reach a demographic not yet tapped, like the millennials.

“They do everything online, so to reach them and get them talking about it, would be a great opportunity,” Sachdev said. The content of the skit would be very much like “a normal Funny of Die skit,” she explained.

The National Sikh Campaign’s (NSC) says on its website that its mission is to promote a better understanding of the Sikh community in America and other Western countries, and to project a positive image and profile.

In order to fulfill this mission, NSC works like a think tank studying messaging and communications strategies as well as social, and cultural dynamics affecting the Sikh community, the website of the organization said. The campaign is also a forum and resource center for those interested in learning about the Sikh community and as a coordinator of other like-minded Sikh organizations.

The campaign has worked closely with messaging strategists from Hart Research Associates and AKPD Message & Media, which handled the Obama campaign. The clients of these firms include: President Barack H. Obama, Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton, Harvard University, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Governor Deval Patrick, Disney/ESPN, the Coca-Cola Company, and the Wall Street Journal.

Funny Or Die started in 2007 when Hollywood funny-man Will Ferrell and Adam McKay decided to make a video about a foul-mouthed toddler who wanted her rent money. Now it has become a hub for making funny videos and has worked with comedians and actors like Zach Galifianakis and Charlize Theron, making shorts about everything from hoverboards to forehead tittaes to interviews that happen between two ferns, among them the one of Galifianakis and Obama.

As a full-service comedy studio it has created dozens of long-form specials and series, including American Vandal (Netflix), Brockmire (IFC), and The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish (HBO). It has millions of fans on social media, the website says, and has won Emmys and Peabody Awards for its TV shows and Clios and Golden Lions for the branded content. “Next up, a Nobel Peace Prize for I Love You, America (Hulu),” the website declares.

A query sent to Funny or Die about its partnership with the National Sikh Campaign did not get a response by press time.