The flagship

Everything your donors see, working as one.

A signature film each quarter, built on one story strategy for the whole giving year.

The problem this solves

The appeal says one thing. The newsletter says another.

Your website says a third, and the gala video says a fourth. None of them are wrong, exactly. They just never add up to one thing a donor can hold onto, so people quietly stop paying attention and nobody can point to the moment it happened.

If the part that is missing is what happens after a gift, that is The Storytelling System, and the films on this page are what feed it. On that path this sits beside the flagship tier.

What you get

Four films, and the thinking behind them

What it feels like when it works

A donor hears one thing all year

They see the film at the gala, then the follow-up email says the same thing in their own words, then the year-end appeal lands and they already know the story.

That is not more content. That is the same story, carried well, from January to December.

How the system stacks

One story, carried by everything.

01

The year, decided once

What you are funding, who you are asking, and the single thread that runs through all of it.

02

The signature films

Four pieces that carry real weight, made at the quality the moment deserves.

03

Where each one goes

Guidance on how to use every film, so it does not land once and disappear.

04

Everyone on the same page

Regular check-ins so the story stays true to what is actually happening in the work.

The point is not more content. It is that a donor hears one thing all year, and it is the true thing.

See it in the work

What a signature film looks like.

The Navy Banquet and the Maryland FCA Funders Dinner are the shape of this work: one film, built to carry a room and keep working long after it.

See it in the work
What this asks of you

A deeper retainer, on purpose.

This is an annual retainer like the other one, just more involved. It runs on staying genuinely aligned: regular check-ins so everyone is on the same page, and real input from you on the story direction for the year.

Turnaround runs about three weeks from shoot to final, because these pieces are more involved than monthly work.

Exact hours per quarter to be confirmed before publish.

Who this is for

Organizations where the year needs to add up

Everything a donor sees says something slightly different, and someone needs to make it one story.

Who this is not for

Teams who mostly need steady volume

That is the Content Retainer, the lighter of the two annual retainers. We should talk about that instead.

Before you ask

Questions people actually ask

Do you handle distribution?

No, and I want to be straight about that. I advise on where each film should go and how to use it, but your team sends it. You know your donors and your channels better than I do.

How many films do we get?

Four a year by default, one per quarter. Adjustable in conversation.

How long is the commitment?

A year, same as the retainer.

How long from shoot to final?

About three weeks. These are more involved than the monthly pieces.

What determines the investment?

The number of films, how involved each one is, and how much strategy the year needs. That is a conversation, not a menu.

"They were on top of all the details the day of the event, which was very chaotic, and most importantly they have an amazing eye for beautiful cinematography."
Darren Heater · Owner, DMH Visual Productions

Build the engine, once.

Let's talk about it

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