A Lion in the House, ITVS

Mylion.org has sustained the impact of A Lion in the House well beyond the PBS broadcast in June 2006. The site invites continuing conversation through a blog, features updates about children featured in the film, helps families dealing with childhood cancer connect with each other and share stories, and encourages volunteerism. It is an exemplary post-broadcast engagement effort, even housing a survey to collect data about ongoing efforts.

A Doula Story, The Kindling Group

Daniel Alpert of The Kindling Group knew that his topic of teen pregnancy would resonate over time, across organizational types and around the country. He created additional, post-broadcast engagement materials to extend the impact, including a video for policymakers, scientifically based research and a user’s guide.

Garbage Dreams: The Game, ITVS Interactive

ITVS Interactive designed a mesmerizing online game so that Mai Iskander’s Garbage Dreams would resonate with new media audiences, personalize a global issue and endure over time. The game is included in the formal K-12 lesson plans as well.

The Principal Story, P.O.V.

Nomadic Films producers Tod Lending and David Mrazek secured financial support from The Wallace Foundation for their 2009 P.O.V. documentary on school principals. Proud of their investment in the film, and committed to the topic, The Wallace Foundation maintains a resource-rich website and e-mail list to keep the engagement active and ongoing.

Almost Home, 371 Productions

The producers of Almost Home created a second phase of engagement that relied more heavily on program excerpts and the project website, after the broadcast revealed a need for and interest in more information.

In the Family, Kartemquin Films

Producer Joanna Rudnick continues to maintain and update the site for In the Family, her intimate portrayal of inherited breast cancer. Speaking to a community that, regrettably, has new members every day, she posts information about legal rulings affecting treatment, keeps active links to breast cancer counseling and continues to support screenings and discussions.

Including Samuel, Daniel Habib

Photojournalist Dan Habib’s film chronicles four years of his own family’s struggle to include a child with cerebral palsy in every facet of their lives. Timeless and powerful, the documentary continues to be used by educators and families. Note the well-organized web page that makes it easy to schedule, plan and publicize a local screening.

Not in Our Town, The Working Group

Not in Our Town, the 1994 documentary profiling the people of Billings, Montana as they countered hate crimes, is a remarkable example of a PBS documentary that launched a national movement against bigotry. PBS.org continues to host K-12 materials for the program, and www.niot.org keeps the conversation and action alive.

Country Boys, David Sutherland through ITVS

Producer David Sutherland and ITVS prepared a post-campaign report outlining the results of their work around the documentary Country Boys. A final report is a critical task in the engagement timeline; it demonstrates your sustained commitment and positions your next project more favorably with funders.

Facing the Mortgage Crisis Impact Report

KETC St. Louis created a rich, multiplatform impact report for their national engagement initiative, Facing the Mortgage Crisis. The site illuminates both quantitative and qualitative results and serves as a lasting testament to the effectiveness of the project.

My Source Testimonials, NCME

Local stations are able to produce powerful personal testimonials from participants in engagement projects. These video and audio pieces capture the emotional impact of a program and can reinforce the value of a project with funders and other stakeholders.

Two Towns of Jasper Engagement Evaluation, WPT

Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) wanted to understand the impacts of their engagement around Two Towns of Jasper. The station used its resources to recruit and gather participants for a screening and discussion event, then conducted pre- and post-event measurement of participant attitudes. The results illustrate the difference in impact between those who simply watched the broadcast and those who engaged with it, providing validation of the engagement effort and its funding.