Communities of color comprise the overwhelming majority of communities impacted by crime, and yet historically have remained underserved by systems designed to prevent crime.  Balestra Media partnered with the Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ) to develop a visual identity campaign that not only communicated the goals of the new organization, but also told the deeply personal stories of crime survivors who advocate for healing communities and rejecting overincarceration.

Campaign Identity

Given that ASJ grew, in part, from the the success of local groups like Californians for Safety & Justice (CSJ), our team gave thoughtful consideration to the typographic sensibilities of CSJ and previous color palettes. Balestra developed a brand identity and logo typeset in Proxima Nova, using a saturated carceral orange and tranquil blue to symbolize moving forward from mass incarceration to a future embracing restorative justice.

Cinematic & Digital Storytelling

Balestra worked closely with ASJ and Burning Hearts Media to tell the stories of those directly impacted by crime, and those who are advocate for shifting investments from mass incarceration to treatment and trauma recovery.  After interviewing key voices, we produced a 5 minute short film, and five 30-second clips for sharing on Instagram and Facebook.

Created for The Alliance for Safety & Justice https://www.allianceforsafetyandjustice.org/

Website & Data Visualization

Balestra collaborated with ASJ, The Raben Group and Talbot Digital to create an online platform for ASJ to launch to include the crime survivors video, new photos from the recent Survivors Speak conference and information about state campaigns and resources.  Complete with parallax elements, an interactive Crime Survivors Report, and a dynamic data visualization map that highlights rates of incarceration in states across the country, the new website provides an information clearinghouse for anyone interested in criminal justice reform, and the important and often under-told stories of crime survivors.

Audience Building

 Balestra developed a series of digital audience products to tell ASJ’s story on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, accompanied by sample language to share the new collateral across all platforms and increase engagement focused on partner states.

Every once in awhile our work humbles us to the core.

After 14 years of detention without charge, Mohamedou Ould Slahi was released from the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Leading up to this moment Balestra Media worked closely with the ACLU to create an escalating multi-medium campaign advocating for the release of Slahi. The campaign braided traditional earned media relations with digital petition engagement and creative strategies to elevate Mohamedou’s voice and build his supporter base while the GITMO periodic review board considered Mohamedou for release.

Balestra Media worked with Mohamedou’s brother, Yahdih Slahi to develop a petition asking then Defense Secretary Ashe Carter to consider freedom for Mohamedou and combined in-person petition events with an escalating digital publishing calendar that posted daily graphics inspired by the journal entries of Mohamedou Slahi.

Mohamedou was released this morning by way of an early morning flight from Guantanamo Bay to Mauritania where his family resides.  

Before even arriving home Mohamedou told his lawyer Nancy Hollander he hoped to one day tour Europe promoting his New York Times best-selling memoir, Guantanamo Diary. It’s humbling to know that could soon be a reality.

Balestra Media worked with the Los Angeles Times on including influential Latinos, including Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, in their online feature profiling 100 diverse influencers who have made a significant impact on Hollywood. Together, they represent the outlet’s top candidates for nomination to various branches of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The piece ran in print on Sunday, June 5.

NHMC’s Alex Nogales was one of 20 influencers increasing diversity in the industry with a breakout Q&A here: http://lat.ms/1t3JKBa.

After publication, the Los Angeles Times acknowledged NHMC in a follow-up piece for their recommendations of dozens of NHMC’s allies for inclusion. Of that list, we celebrate the newspaper’s selection of these amazing Latinos:

Gina Rodriguez (nominated for Actors branch)
Oscar Issac (nominated for Actors branch)
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (nominated for Directors branch)
Aurora Guerrero (nominated for Directors branch)
Jorge Gutierrez with a Q&A here http://lat.ms/25CBSYq (nominated for Short Films and Animation)
Axel Caballero (nominated for Associates branch)
Ivette Rodriguez (nominated for Public Relations branch)
Eric Rovner (nominated for Associates branch)
Paul Presburger (nominated for Executives branch)

UPDATE: Of NHMC’s recommendations chosen by the Los Angeles Times, the Academy invited three to join.

Congratulations to:

Jorge Gutierrez, animator/director, “The Book of Life,” and NHMC Impact Award recipient
Patricia Riggen, director, “The 33”
Oscar Isaac, actor, “Star Wars The Force Awakens” and “Ex Machina”

We had the incredible pleasure of working with the whole #StandWithCongo team - JD Stier, campaign director; Mike Ramsdell, film director; activist and artist Omekongo Dibinga and the amazing activist and actress Robin Wright.

This was also a very special project to me because I had the opportunity to work alongside my former colleague JD Stier, after our time together at Center for American Progress, and collaborate closely with my former FitzGibbon Media colleague Andy Stepanian on the media relations. So proud to see a Stier Forward campaign in action, with support by The Rockefeller Foundation, and drawing attention to the need for transparency in mining contracts in Congo with the new documentary.

#StandWithCongo team discusses campaign and documentary with Guardian news staff in morning meeting

Video shoot with Guardian editor Ed Pilkington

In The Brian Lehrer Show studio at WNYC

Pre-interview prep

Panel at Mic - with a surprise spoken word by Dr. Dibinga

Huffington Post interview streaming on Facebook Live

Final media visit at Mic's office

Balestra Media' s RightsCon Silicon Valley panel went one hour over time in a livelydiscussion of engaging media around digital rights. Brian Knappenberger, director of THE INTERNET'S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ, shared his insights on storytelling from years of visualizing tech issues--most recently through his direction of the Maggie Gyllenhaal-narrated docu-series Truth and Power. Free Press president and CEO Craig Aaron contributed his perspective on years of campaigning and advocacy work. The audience shared their successes and lessons learned, analyzed recent news coverage and workshopped their future ideas with all the panelists.

Convening a panel with Free Press president and CEO Craig Aaron and filmmaker Brian Knappenberger (director of THE INTERNET'S OWN BOY) in San Francisco on Friday the 1st at 10:30am. We'll be talking about engaging the media around digital rights issues - come check it out if you're stopping by the conference!

Very excited to be a part of the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Impact Awards this year to honor outstanding contributions to the positive portrayals of Latinos in media and NHMC’s 30th anniversary. At this year’s gala in Beverly Hills, we proudly wore our #HollywoodBrownout ribbons!

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