How to Make Your Next Launch Work Harder- Lessons from Netflix’s Who We Are Film!

Leading Business Highlight: Jeffrey Robinson, Emily Kuntsler, and Sarah Kuntsler’s 3-Pronged Angle Highlight Context: Jeffrey Robinson and the filmmakers Emily Kuntsler, and Sarah Kuntsler’s have three things working for them in the business-side of their mission to improve race relations (for the culture).

1. Live Speaking Event - the use of a live speaking event that will have it’s own promotion, built-in audience, feedback, and post-event marketing is a benefit to the larger marketing effort for the film and project by the same name of the film (The Who We Are Project).

2. Pre-recorded media - they leveraged truly engaging, time-tested exercises that will give the live audience as well as the home audience ‘a-ha moments’, they provided resources that will allow people to do self-discovery and exploration on their own, and leveraged pre-recorded content of true yet current stories that would keep the pace of the film moving forward but that also provides a local connection to the work for people to engage with and support

3. Streaming - instead of only “putting their head down and doing the work” (which means just doing the non-profit work without looking at ways to amplify the message and the work) - instead of doing the work without a strong messaging platform, their business approach takes a that old way and flips it on it’s head. The streaming film on Netflix and the streaming podcast episodes help with the heavy lifting of amplifying the message but that also creates a great source of name recognition, familiarity and more. Keeping the name the same for all of the platforms provides their work with brand reinforcement and supports getting broader name recognition faster.
   

Tips/Key Take-A-Ways for Rising & Current Culture Leaderz:

• Amplify - ask yourself, what paths are available and best suited for you and your team to amplify your message?

• Multiply - Using multiple pathways and leveraging events or platforms that are already slated to receive promotion by you or a partner are great ways to ensure that you don’t fall into the trap of just doing the work, but doing it in secret. You will multiply your chances to make an impact and help more people if you multiply your amplification efforts in a way that is working smarter not harder. It is great that you are doing work to improve the community and the world for everyone, but it won’t be great if no one knows about it.

• Thought-Starters - A few thought-starters could include…

  • Writing a book (or several)

  • Speaking engagements by your founder or leadership team

  • Starting clubs or chapters

  • Launching an engaging YouTube channel

  • Launching a ClubHouse House

  • Streaming or traditional platforms, and many other options.

A great start will be to ask those in your current audience, volunteer group, or donation givers white kind of content or messaging they enjoy. That will give you a great start in looking at what kind of messaging or content to create consistently as an amplification vehicle.

Background/Summary - what is the film and project about? Here you go… According to Forbes, the film is written by and features Jeffery Robinson, former Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU, and is directed by sisters Emily and Sarah Kunstler. The documentary had its world premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Documentary Spotlight Audience Award.

Robinson has worked as a trial lawyer for over 40 years. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, he was 11 years old when the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered in his town. Robinson believes that, before King’s murder, the United States was at a tipping point towards racial equality. He believes the moment was lost upon King’s death and questions where we as a nation have now ended up.

The film chronicles Robinson’s journey around the United States, examining the extensive history of white supremacy and discrimination, going back to the days of slavery all the way through to the present. Who We Are weaves together his personal story with historical and archival footage.