1st Edition

Story Money Impact: Funding Media for Social Change

By Tracey Friesen Copyright 2016
    270 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    270 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Story Money Impact: Funding Media for Social Change by Tracey Friesen is a practical guide for media-makers, funders, and activists who share the common goal of creating an impact with their work. Today, social-issues storytellers are sharpening their craft, while funders with finite resources focus on reach, and strategic innovators bring more robust evaluation tools. Friesen illuminates the spark at the core of these three pursuits. Structured around stories from the front lines, Story Money Impact reveals best practices in the areas of documentary, digital content, and independent journalism.

    Here you will find:

    • Twenty-one stories from people behind such powerful works as CITIZENFOUR, The Corporation, Virunga, Being Caribou, Age of Stupid, and Food Inc.

    • Six key story ingredients for creating compelling content.

    • Six possible money sources for financing your work.

    • Six impact outcome goals to further your reach.

    • Seven practical worksheets for your own projects.

    • A companion website located at www.storymoneyimpact.com containing up-to-date information for those seeking the tools and inspiration to use media for social change.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    FOREWARD

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    CHAPTER 1

    PREFACE: MY SPARK

    CHAPTER 2

    INTRODUCTION

    CHAPTER 3

    BOOK STRUCTURE

    PART ONE – STORY

    CHAPTER 4

    STORY IS FUEL: Generates Feeling!

    CHAPTER 5

    MOTIVATION: Why Use Art to Make Change?

    Worksheet 1 – Your Motivation

    CHAPTER 6

    PRODUCER’S JOURNAL

    NARRATIVE ARC (STORY INGREDIENT 1) – Being Caribou

    CHAPTER 7

    STORY INGREDIENT 2 – ORIGINALITY

    Mark Achbar, Big Picture Media Corporation, The Corporation

    - THE SPARK – ORIGINALITY

    CHAPTER 8

    STORY INGREDIENT 3 – EMOTION

    John Battsek, Passion Pictures, The Age of Stupid

    - THE SPARK – EMOTION

    CHAPTER 9

    STORY INGREDIENT 4 – IMMEDIACY

    Elise Pearlstein, Participant Media, Food, Inc.

    - THE SPARK – IMMEDIACY

    CHAPTER 10

    STORY INGREDIENT 5 – SIMPLICITY

    Louis Fox, with Free Range Studios, The Story of Stuff

    - THE SPARK – SIMPLICITY

    CHAPTER 11

    STORY INGREDIENT 6 – ACCESS

    Michelle van Beusekom, National Film Board of Canada, We Were Children

    - THE SPARK – ACCESS

    CHAPTER 12

    PRODUCER’S MEMO

    SUMMARY OF STORY INGREDIENTS - Carts of Darkness

    Worksheet 2 – Your Story

    PART TWO - MONEY

    CHAPTER 13

    MONEY IS WIND: Driven By Mission!

    CHAPTER 14

    MOTIVATION - Who Will You Make Change With?

    Worksheet 3 – Your Needs

    CHAPTER 15

    PRODUCER’S JOURNAL

    BROADCASTERS (MONEY SOURCE 1) - Hadwin’s Judgement

    CHAPTER 16

    MONEY SOURCE 2 – FOUNDATIONS

    Cara Mertes, Ford Foundation’s JustFilms, CITIZENFOUR

    - THE SPARK – FOUNDATIONS

    CHAPTER 17

    MONEY SOURCE 3 – IMPACT INVESTORS

    Geralyn Dreyfous, Impact Partners, The Genius of Marian

    - THE SPARK - IMPACT INVESTORS

    CHAPTER 18

    MONEY SOURCE 4 – PHILANTHROPISTS

    Steve Cohen, Chicago Media Project, The Invisible War

    - THE SPARK – PHILANTHROPISTS

    CHAPTER 19

    MONEY SOURCE 5 – BRANDS

    Brian Newman, with Patagonia, DamNation

    - THE SPARK - CORPORATE BRANDS

    CHAPTER 20

    MONEY SOURCE 6 – THE CROWD

    Ayah Norris, Indiegogo, A Better Man

    - THE SPARK - THE CROWD

    CHAPTER 21

    PRODUCER’S MEMO

    SUMMARY OF MONEY SOURCES - Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton

    Worksheet 4 – Your Funding

    PART THREE – IMPACT

    CHAPTER 22

    IMPACT IS FIRE: Igniting Movements!

    CHAPTER 23

    MOTIVATION - What Kind of Change Do You Want?

    Worksheet 5 – Your Goals

    CHAPTER 24

    PRODUCER’S JOURNAL

    AWARENESS BUILDING (IMPACT OUTCOME 1) - Shameless: The ART of Disability

    CHAPTER 25

    IMPACT OUTCOME 2 – ENGAGEMENT

    Andrea Seale, David Suzuki Foundation, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

    - THE SPARK – ENGAGEMENT

    CHAPTER 26

    IMPACT OUTCOME 3 – CONTEXT

    Debika Shome, Harmony Institute, An Inconvenient Truth

    - THE SPARK – CONTEXT

    CHAPTER 27

    IMPACT OUTCOME 4 – BEHAVIORAL CHANGE

    Johanna Blakley, PhD, Media Impact Project, Waiting for Superman

    - THE SPARK – BEHAVIORAL CHANGE

    CHAPTER 28

    IMPACT OUTCOME 5 – POLICY REFORM

    Sheila Leddy, Fledgling Fund, Escape Fire

    - THE SPARK – POLICY REFORM

    CHAPTER 29

    IMPACT OUTCOME 6 – INTERNATIONAL ACTION

    Beadie Finzi, BRITDOC, Virunga

    - THE SPARK – INTERNATIONAL ACTION

    CHAPTER 30

    PRODUCER’S MEMO

    SUMMARY OF IMPACT OUTCOMES - Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story

    Worksheet 6 – Your Call to Action

    PART FOUR – ALLIES

    CHAPTER 31

    IMPACT PRODUCERS

    - Darcy Heusel, Picture Motion, American Promise

    - Katherine Dodds, Hello Cool World, 65_RedRoses

    - THE SPARKS – IMPACT PRODUCERS

    CHAPTER 32

    PLATFORMS

    - Christie George, New Media Ventures, Upworthy

    - Asi Burak, Games for Change, Half the Sky

    - THE SPARKS – PLATFORMS

    CHAPTER 33

    INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

    - Steve Katz, Mother Jones

    - Linda Solomon, Vancouver Observer

    - THE SPARKS – INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

    CHAPTER 34

    THE JAM SESSION: CBC, WNYC, ROUNDHOUSE RADIO

    Worksheet 7 – Your Media Vision

    APPENDIX 1

    SAMPLE FINANCING SCENARIOS

    HADWIN’S JUDGEMENT

    BIG JOY

    APPENDIX 2

    RESOURCES

    FILM LIST

    ORGANIZATION LIST

    APPENDIX 3

    FULL INTERVIEWEE BIOS

    END NOTES

    INDEX

    Biography

    Tracey Friesen is a media strategist, committed to supporting storytellers and social innovators in the creation of impactful content. Formerly an Executive Producer of the National Film Board of Canada’s studio in Vancouver, her credits include ScaredSacred, SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability, and Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie. In 2014 she wrote a major research paper for the Documentary Organization of Canada called Growing the Pie: Alternative Financing and Canadian Documentary, a feasibility study on collaborative funding models for Inspirit Foundation, a research project -­‐ with support from Creative BC -­‐ on the viability of a Canadian-based Good Pitch, and the documentary film Amplify HER. Friesen is now Director of Programming for Roundhouse Radio 98.3 Vancouver, a hyper local commercial station with a community focus.

    "This is a remarkable book. Tracey Friesen deftly guides a meditation on the transformative influence that film can play in steering and affirming positive change in the world, and on the financial support and narrative grounding requisite to this shift." - Ross McMillan, President & CEO Tides Canada 

    "Fresh, authentic, and experiential, this book is an asset to every filmmaker who wants to make media that matters."- Patricia Aufderheide, Professor American University and founder of the Center for Media & Social Impact

    "Not all docs can or should ignite social impact, but a good many do. Friesen provides the essential research, roadmap and tools for this transformative and exciting new space. An essential and compelling read." - Chris McDonald, President, Hot Docs


    "An new metaphor for looking at the relationship between Story, Money (funding), and Impact. This book is a valuable resource with many concrete stories of real projects." - Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself, Stevie) 

    "Tracey Friesen is perfectly positioned to offer this most useful little tool STORY MONEY IMPACT. Her work with story during her time with the NFB and inspirational contribution to the media community have resulted in both insight and a unique approach for filmmakers at all stages of their career, from the spark of an idea to the thrill of a hard won premiere screening. Her own credentials, being without question, are complimented by a stellar cast of contributors from storytellers to  funders, to programmers to philanthropists, worthy of the who’s who list of media creators and leaders for social change. -Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, Canada Media Fund

    "By book’s end, filmmaker and funder alike will have a good sense of the conversations taking place around funding films for social change, and if they fill out the worksheets, a clearly outlined project plan." - Anne Watson, Vancouver Observer

    "This useful guide avoids glossy marketing speak, which is part of the language of the current impact space, and instead offers a personable inside view of interlocking opportunities within a growing ecosystem. There is a grassroots feel to Friesen’s approach, spanning the creative, strategic and business dimensions, as evidenced as early as its introduction…" - Liz Marshall, Doclit: Reviews of Books on Documentaries

     

    "This book offers a great mix of both practical advice and inspiration. Story Money Impact goes way beyond just the idea of creating an "impact campaign", which is where many manuals on the subject seem to both begin and end. Covering everything from finding and structuring your story to demystifying the fundraising landscape to making sense of the march towards metrics, Friesen has written an invaluable companion for filmmakers looking to make films that spark change." - Amy Halpin, International Documentary Association