Marketing + Strategy
The Client
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides vital assistance and free educational programming and workshops to the professionals of SAG-AFTRA. For 35 years, the Foundation has offered a safety net and emergency assistance to SAG-AFTRA members. The Foundation relies solely on support from gifts, grants and sponsorships to maintain its free programs. For more information, visit sagaftra.foundation.
The Brief
In March of 2020, I was hired as consultant for SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund campaign, helping SAG-AFTRA members and their families receive emergency financial assistance. Due to the pandemic, literally thousands of performers were out of work, and the Foundation needed to find new, creative, and strategic ways to raise money for performers and their families.
My role: Working with/reporting to the Director of Communications, I provided creative direction on videos and ads; copywriting; content and messaging strategy; and helped create digital toolkits.
Research: SAG-AFTRA Artists
Initially I wanted to understand the life of a working actor, and how COVID had affected the arts community in particular. When the pandemic hit, it caused near industry-wide shutdown (over 95%). Sets were shuttered, theaters went dark, survival gigs were lost, and the Foundation remained the only place that provided help and resources directly to Union members.
One of the things most people don’t realize is for every famous actor, there are thousands of struggling performers trying to make ends meet just to do what they love, pushing many to work service-industry “survival jobs” which had also been devastated due to the virus.
Research: Emergency Relief Fund
Prior to COVID, emergency grants for SAG-AFTRA performers were issued after artists filled out an anonymous application citing their need. After a quick vetting, grants were typically made on an average sum of $1,000.
100% of all aid goes directly to artists — and quickly. It helps performers with things such as rent, groceries, medical bills, or other misc. items.
While that process didn’t really change during COVID, the scale of the need absolutely skyrocketed. With thousands out of work, the Fund saw an enormous surge of applications. As the Fund exists thanks to the generosity of donors, the Foundation needed to make sure it could raise enough money so that Fund could cover the amount of performers requesting emergency aid.
“I would not be standing here today if it was not for the SAG Foundation and that Relief Fund.”
— Anonymous SAG-AFTRA performer
Problem & Solution:
Though the problem was very transparent before my hiring, the solution did take a little more time to figure out.
It was exciting writing for some of the biggest performers in the business
Creative: Celebrity Videos
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation has prominent members on its Actors Council who were willing to record themselves on video (remotely, given we were in the middle of a pandemic) to help drive home the need and messaging. While the video was made public, the main goal of its use was to help attract the attention of other high-profile artists in the field.
Creative: Artists Videos
While celebrity videos have their place, showing the effects COVID has on working-actors-in-need was best served by getting the stories from those who were experiencing it first-hand. For this, we reached out to SAG-AFTRA performers who had applied/received support from the Fund, and various participants sent in videos sharing their stories and experiences.
Using a transcript, I consolidated the videos, creating a script that merged all the stories into a single, cohesive narrative.
I wrote this script off artist’s submissions, and gave creative direction
Creative: Print Ads
Print…
Hollywood trade magazines continue to have expansive impact and prominence within the industry, so the Foundation opted to create a few ads to spread the word about the Relief Fund.
…still works…
Using my ad experience, I pitched concepts, wrote headlines, wrote copy, and gave creative direction.
…and nets results.
We were able to launch three different spreads: one announcing our Fund, one that tipped our hat to a popular film classic, and one that closed the year citing the Foundation’s impact in 2020.
Creative: Fireside Chats
As the Foundation is a resource for thousands of SAG-AFTRA artists, we wanted to make sure that all communication and messaging was focused internally as much as it was outward facing to donors.
Given the uneasy COVID climate, the decision was reached that the President would create weekly Fireside chats to SAG-AFTRA artists, updating them about the Fund (money raised + status), in addition to sharing inspired and positive messaging to encourage members to keep positive throughout the difficult time.
Working with the Foundation’s President and the Director of Communications, I assisted them with writing the Fireside Chat scripts; our team coming up with new and inspired ways to motivate artists.
The President of SAG-AFTRA Foundation closes out the 2020 year
I wrote and produced this Boxing Day promo with the Ted Lasso cast
Creative: Special Initiatives
As SAG-AFTRA artists were stuck indoors for many months on end, we tried to find fresh and encouraging ways to keep performers motivated during the pandemic, and to keep the entire community invested in the mission. These included:
A Cameo campaign led by Tom Bergeron, encouraging SAG Awards nominees to record videos to support the Foundation.
Asking artists to submit videos telling us what they were looking forward to in what we called “Better Days.”
Creating the #HomestageSAF initiative that asked artists to contribute to an evolving digital archive that showcased the many ways they were continuing to work on their craft while relegated to their homes.
Creative: SAG Awards Video
Sent to SAG-AFTRA members during the week of the 2021 SAG Awards, Play Your Part summarizes the Foundation’s critical work and impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PLAY YOUR PART (2021) - Creative Director/Copywriter: Todd Luoto
Strategy: Digital Toolkits
Many prominent industry leaders agreed to help spread the word about the Fund. To help make sure interactions were easy and all correspondence was issued with the most impactful messaging in mind, I helped in the creation of the digital toolkits. This included:
Email language
Phone scripts
Tweet language
FAQ document
Strategy:
Publishing + Updates
There was heavy consideration when and how updates would be sent to both potential donors and a broader audience, and I worked with the Director of Communications with creating a schedule and plan for things such as:
Emails
Updates
Social posts
& More.
Takeaways
As I held a unique position at a very unique time, there were a number of reflections I had about my work and contributions…
To date, the Fund has raised over $9 million and helped over 7,000 SAG-AFTRA artists in need. This was a great response, to a devastating crisis, at a wildly unpredictable time.
Solid bosses make for solid work. SAF’s Director of Communications provided clear direction and producorial leadership, both encouraging ideas but reigning them in when necessary to the organization’s mandates.
I loved having the chance to apply my multi-faceted skill-set: from creative, to production, to marketing and strategy, and more.
Hearing directly from artists themselves, the Fund truly seemed to make a difference in the lives of many people. As a result, this remains one of my best professional experience to date.