Sahar Driver

Film + Strategy + Campaign Design + Social Change

Social movements need powerful stories. But if that is all it took to solve social problems, we wouldn’t have any. Strong and compelling stories that grapple with timely and important issues can benefit from careful planning to ensure the message reaches the right audiences, in the right ways, at the right times.

As a documentary impact strategist, I have helped filmmakers, funders, and movement leaders build strategic partnerships and plans that strengthen their respective projects and contribute to lasting change. I have also conducted research and designed programming to strengthen the field of documentary impact.

My latest work focuses on supporting, resourcing, and connecting people of color led and serving organizations working in nonfiction. You can learn more here: colorcongress.org. Unfortunately that means I am not currently taking on any new clients.

OFFERINGS

While I typically design strategic programs and campaigns that amplify a film's power to support social change, I am not currently taking on new clients. For a look at what I am working on now, check out: Color Congress.


Social Issue Film Campaigns

Campaign Design and Direction - I design a campaign strategy that leverages a film’s key distribution milestones toward advancing the issues it addresses, by identifying strategic objectives, activities, audiences and partnerships. I will also help oversee its careful implementation by your team.

Partner Cultivation - I identify and engage national networks and institutions with the desire and capacity to partner with the campaign and help develop a plan to advance their objectives in aligned and mutually beneficial ways.

Early Strategy Consultations - I work with you at the preliminary stages of your filmmaking to help you think through your engagement objectives, the issue landscape your film will land in, and considerations for your story, potential audiences, and impact targets.

See Portfolio for examples of past work.


Strategy Development

Funding Strategy - I support a film's funding strategy for the impact and engagement portion of a campaign. This might include research (see below), proposal writing, and funder engagement.

Landscape Research - I conduct a preliminary analysis of the key stakeholders, opportunities, and challenges that relate to the issues raised in a film to help orient and support preliminary planning. This also might include communications research.

Audience Testing - Once we have identified campaign objectives and audiences, I help to test relevant material, as needed, to deepen understanding, fine-tune messaging and framing, and strengthen engagement. 

Stakeholder Meetings - I both design and facilitate your stakeholder meeting, drawing on years of experience leading Active Voice braintrusts –a strategic planning process bringing together the ecosystem of players critical to a campaign's success– a process developed to help hone in on campaign activities, objectives, audiences and outcomes.

See Portfolio for examples of past work.


Supporting Resources 

Discussion Materials - I produce supporting materials to support productive conversations and action with respect to the issues a film addresses. This may also include facilitation kits and resource guides. See Portfolio for examples.


Capacity Building 

Film & Strategy for Impact: I lead customized workshops, trainings, and coaching for filmmakers, organizers, impact producers, funders, educators, nonprofits, and other institutions in the public sector related to strategic use of story to advance social change efforts and priorities.

See Portfolio for examples of past work. 

Sahar on a panel at a Firelight Doc Impact Lab in NC (2017)

Sahar on a panel at a Firelight Doc Impact Lab in NC (2017)