The situation

Seven-plus years of work with the ACLU, the last four-plus of it independently through Lantana Research. It began with Oklahoma State Question 805 at BSG and has continued as individual state affiliates came back directly with new campaigns. Throughout, criminal justice reform in conservative and swing jurisdictions has faced severe narrative friction: coalitions must communicate urgent policy realities without alienating key voter segments or feeding opposition counter-messaging.

The challenge

Understand how different voter cohorts processed message variations around sentencing, rehabilitation, and constitutional rights, and convert those insights into earned-media strategy for state-level ACLU affiliates.

My contribution

• Audience research. Message testing, stakeholder interviews, and issue-salience research across target state demographics.
• Earned-media strategy. Isolated messaging frames that maintained policy integrity while building broader coalition support.
• Operational direction. Translated findings into media briefs, campaign guides, and spokesperson recommendations for local leadership.

The situation

Traditional linear formats struggle to capture fragmented digital audiences. The production had to keep its broadcast identity while building an agile distribution strategy for digital and social platforms.

The challenge

Establish a disciplined production pipeline, elevate guest booking and segment quality, and adapt long-form broadcasts into short-form content, without increasing budget overhead.

My contribution

• Production operations. Built and managed run-of-shows, technical execution, crew workflows, and guest logistics.
• Format adaptation. Developed a social-first pipeline: street-interview segments and short-form clips driving top-of-funnel discovery.
• Team leadership. Supervised production staff and NYU interns, with clear workflows for editing, pacing, and multi-platform publishing.