UNCONVENTIONAL

OUR CREATIVE TEAM LED DIGITAL CONTENT FOR THE 2024 DNC CONVENTION

AND HELPED PRODUCE THE FIRST “CREATOR COHORT” OF 200+ INFLUENCERS, credentialed like press, netting an estimated $800M in earned media.

Josh, on the Creator Economy: As Creative Director for the DNC Convention, I was at the epicenter of the bright shiny new thing in politics: the first-ever Creator Program, helping manage Influencers like press.

I’d like to think we set a standard, where you value creators and don’t reduce their work to dance videos and makeup tutorials (which can also be persuasive), where you create opportunities for them and don’t just offer stock scripts and rigid expectations. Because Influencer work is Surrogate Comms work, and the connection some creators have with their audiences is unmatched, in comparison to seeking another MSNBC hit or pouring resources into pre-roll ads before NCIS. Do it right and you just might actually “go viral.”

Traditional outlets have a right to be salty. When a creator has literally 150x the reach of the current readership of the Chicago Tribune, we 100% offered access and space in new ways to help them cover the event. That said, I feel there’s still too much attention put to follower count, and not strategically my focus on who can persuade the 50,000 voters in the Milwaukee and Detroit suburbs that matter.

Especially useful when working with Creators, Good Political specializes in videos produced in a style I call: “just the right amount of shitty” = what works online. We don’t recommend porting an expensive TV spot on a vertical platform and expecting it to perform well. If you pour a ton of money on it, they can perform “well,” but we’re confident digitally-native products are most effective.

As such, we do take pride in the technical, the ability to faithfully execute film styles (with Emmys/Webbys to back it up), but in the interest of time/resource/budget/performance— we don’t care if the sound is awful in a crowded arena. We’re about subjecting people to a horrific “Walz-style” taco stand as a vehicle for Funny or Die and Influencers collaborate on official DNC platforms.

More “Party Games” ensued at the pep rally masquerading as a Convention. We had midwest electeds, creators, and delegates defend the state of their state in “Hand-Off!” as a way to amplify their state pride across cross-posted accounts. We also had creators show off their politically-inspired fashion fits in “Fit For Office.”

Decentralize ownership when the goal is reach. When you’re so worried about controlling message, you sacrifice the ability to connect. I’d like to focus on creating opportunities to collaborate with Creators in fun styles genuine to the way they like to express themselves, rather than a stock DTC script or canned questions. When done well, you actually provide a chance to “go viral,” accidentally showcase authenticity, and resonate with other audiences.

The DNC Voice of God(dess) was really one of those videos that worked out way better than it needed to.

BTS footage performs well, so I went on a mission to find the control room so we could capture the first “gavel in” of Convention. Locked in an unmarked room, within an unmarked room, in a 3x3 closet was Silvia. She had the best energy, was so excited to be in the V.O. booth. And what went from a little :15 clip concept became a really lovely vignette by my MVP intern from the 2016 convention, Pablo Roa. And off the video outperforming clips of any President at the podium, CNN reached out to interview Silvia. I love that she went from being hidden to getting her due.

All these results represent why I feel most alive at events like Convention: we created moments. Chances for consequence in ways that would not happen if we weren’t proactive. Joyful warriors with defined purpose.

This feeling is not isolated to just Convention (though thank God it’s only once every four years). Good Political really exists to bring the right people in, Oceans 11 style, for a big score. Where else is your crew The Tonight Show producer, the last White House Video Director, an improv comedian, and a Senate aide? We’re good-natured good political people experienced at handling their stuff when things get really hit the fan.

Team highlights before this convention include:

• Heading Digital Communications with the Parkland students in the March For Our Lives

• Producing 100+ battleground state digital ads for Biden For President in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona

• Leading the creative launch of Michelle Obama’s initiative When We All Vote

We want to keep doing the kind of work we did at Convention, with Creators, electeds, celebrity surrogates, the people representative of what we fight for, and you.