Step & Close
ABOUT STEP & CLOSE
When Oneupweb Founder & CEO, Lisa Wehr, saw the overwhelmingly positive effect that being part of the high school marching band had on her son—she knew one thing for certain—more kids needed the opportunity to participate. Determined to create a piece that could serve as a recruiting tool for the local band program, a fundraising effort to ensure that no child would be barred from participation for financial reasons and a national film that band programs across the nation could use for the same reasons, Step & Close was born.
Committing over 1,500 hours of staff time, Lisa Wehr and select members of Oneupweb's creative team attended and recorded every band practice, every football game and every concert over the course of three months, collecting hours of footage that would be edited into a 45 minute documentary. The documentary, Step & Close, was then used to raise awareness and support for critical arts programs, like band, in child and adolescent curriculums on both a local and national level.
Sounding a rally cry for alternative funding for these types of programs, Step & Close quickly raised nearly $10,000 for the Traverse City West Band Program after premiering at the historic Traverse City State Theatre (owned and operated by Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival) for the local community. And, to insure that the support didn’t stop there, Wehr and her team created a microsite for the film where people could purchase dvds and tshirts for years to come, donating 100% of the proceeds to the Traverse City West Band Program. Being in the band has never been cooler.
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THE CHALLENGE
Step & Close set out to overcome three large obstacles, 1) make band a desirable extracurricular activity for middle and high school students, 2) create a sustainable funding source for the Traverse City West Band Program, 3) bring national awareness to the importance of the arts for children and adolescents as well as to the need for alternative funding sources to sustain arts programs in public school systems.
THE RESULTS
With nearly $10,000 raised less than a week after launching the premier, the film is well on its way to aiding the Traverse City West Band Program. As for the reaction to "I'm With The Band", well, you’ll have to see for yourself.
THE TACTICS
To execute this initiative Oneupweb created a 45 minute film documentary and a complete brand identity system to accompany it which included a microsite, a custom logo for the film, movie posters, t-shirts, donation cards, VIP passes, dvd cover art and more. Additionally, to promote the film and its premiere to the local community, Oneupweb relied heavily on digital PR strategies that incorporated Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The bottom line, Oneupweb practices what they preach for the benefit of their local community. Always has, always will.
