PhilanthroMedia » Progressive Policy

Congressfolk and Cameras

Susan Herr — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:23:16 +0000

For the second year in a row, PhilanthroMedia was invited to cover the release of the Middle Class Scorecard for our client, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. Last year, representatives who received ‘A’s’ were willing to stay for a brief recognition event. This year, they had come off the floor from a vote and wanted to pick up their plaques and scoot.

In a flash, we reorganized our original plans and started shooting individual interviews. In little more than a half hour, we questioned more than 13 members of Congress on what they were doing to advance policies benefiting the Middle Class. (Below you’ll find one from Rep. Marcy Kaptur on how JP Morgan Chase has taken advantage of the financial crisis.)

What Pm was blown away by was the fact that folks who said they didn’t have time stay for a ceremony, did end up waiting for their chance to get in front of the video camera. Within hours we loaded the best on YouTube.

Often we evaluate the need for video coverage by the number of “hits,” but simply having cameras at your event can transform the way participants respond. We’re not saying it’s not a little cheesy/creepy, but Congress members aren’t the only ones who like to get caught on camera (and might be willing to say something compelling about your issue for the opportunity).

Making News Break for You

Susan Herr — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:01:52 +0000

This year, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy invited PhilanthroMedia to join the “rapid response” team it establishes each year to advance progressive analysis of the President’s State of the Union address.

Our interview, conducted with DMI’s Andrea Batista-Schlesinger, was posted to YouTube within hours of the address. The summary (2:18 minutes) has garnered more than 3,600 hits on DMI’s YouTube channel in the five months since. While it initially harnessed a news peg to capture viewers, it continues to provide cogent, user-friendly access to DMI’s perspectives on Administration policies.

Are you waiting to be invited into the newsroom to comment on issues of importance to your constituents? Are you taking advantage of the tools that now enable you to make your own news? Pm is here to help.

Video Bringing Grant Requests to Life

Susan Herr — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:09:05 +0000

It is often exceedingly difficult to convey the richness of your most effective programs. Site visits usually feel contrived; and though well-crafted metrics indicate impact, numbers can’t convey the “magic” that happens when great organizations fuel meaningful change in communities.

This video features one such program–DMI Scholars–which attracts some of our nation’s most talented college activists to careers in progressive public policy.

Here’s feedback that Jennifer Phillips, Senior Program Officer from the Joyce Foundation in Chicago offered after she received an e-mail with links to this video on the DMI Scholars program as well as DMI’s Marketplace of Ideas:

We think highly of this type of effort and were completely taken with your use of video to tell the DMI story. Bravo!

While funders don’t want to be swamped with information, a well-placed, well-produced video targeting areas related to their portfolio may be just what you need to set yourself apart.