BEHIND-THE-SCENES IMPACT SPOTLIGHT

THE FIRST STEP

ABOUT THE FILM

In a divided America, progressive activist and political commentator Van Jones controversially works across party lines on landmark criminal justice reform and a more humane response to the addiction crisis. Attempting to be a bridge builder in a time of extreme polarization takes Van and a coalition of unlikely allies deep into the inner workings of a divisive administration, internal debates within both parties, and the lives of frontline activists fighting for their communities

Film website: https://www.firststepfilm.com/

IMPACT SERVICES

• Guided Campaign Accelerator

The Challenge

Navigating Distribution During the Pandemic

"We premiered our film in the thick of the worst part of the pandemic. After working on our film for five years, our world premiere was a virtual screening and we had minimal opportunities to connect directly with audiences.

While we were very proud of the film, navigating distribution and our impact goals was difficult given the way the world had closed down and the industry was in tatters."

The Support

Guided Campaign Accelerator

"Participating in Guided Campaign helped us to get clear about our core impact goals, and build an actionable strategy around the outcomes that were most important to us.

The combination of the learning modules, templates, and individualized support helped in incalculable ways to develop a strong strategy that was bespoke to our film and something that we could implement ourselves. We also developed a strong sense of community with the other filmmakers in the cohort who became close friends and allies."

Audience Insights

Terrence Coffie, Professor at New York University, formerly incarcerated citizen who was impacted by the legislation in the film:

“There were very robust, insightful, and meaningful dialogues that took place. And not only that, those conversations led to actual changes...we built a coalition out of these [conversations since the screenings]...we’re going to be submitting an annual report to the new director of the prison, the Borough of Prisons...”

Steve Higgs, Executive Director of Sage, a nonprofit organization that focuses on raising awareness around issues of equity and important
challenges facing future generations:

“I’d seen that film twice before on my home computer in the basement. And there is really a different experience when you experience a film together...The panel that they formed: it opened my mind to things I had honestly never thought about before. For example, they had I think two or three speakers associated with a women’s prison in Oregon called Coffee Creek. And they told stories about what it is like to be in prison, what’s it like to give birth while you’re in the prison. And things like that that I had never thought about my whole life."

The Results

Impact-Driven Theatrical Release

"We ultimately carried out the plan to great success. We ran a hybrid self-theatrical release that was impact-driven, screening our film in more than 30 cities with more than 50 partner organizations working on the frontlines of the issue areas our film focused on. It was a deeply meaningful experiences for our partners and the communities they serve. All of this would not have been possible without Guided Campaign."