Visionaries - Changing the World One Story at a Time

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Starfish Television & Visionaries Co-Production Programming

What are the Criteria for Selection?
1) The non-profit organization must have a powerful, emotion evoking story that will inspire the public to contemplate an important social issue.
2) The work of the organization reveals an essential truth, positive solution, replicable model or other knowledge that once revealed is likely to stimulate positive change.
3) The organization’s mission will be measurably advanced by broadcast of the program(s), use of DVD or internet version of the program(s), or by using the media in some other developmental, educational or promotional capacity.
4) The organization has the wherewithal and organizational commitment to provide essential logistical, marketing and production support for the project.
5) The organization has an existing constituency and a means of communicating with supporters that is capable of driving an audience to a broadcast program.
6) The organization has an established mission that calls for the commitment of resources for outreach, public education or advocacy and available funds to cover 50% of the production budget. OR has the support of one or more underwriters who will fund the cost of 50% of the production in exchange for sponsorship opportunities on the Starfish Network and on DVD and internet distribution.

How do I apply?
You can easily apply online or download the application and submit a letter to accompany it that addresses the 6 point criteria outlined above.

How much does this cost?
The typical hour long, professionally produced, broadcast quality documentary can cost anywhere from one hundred and fifty thousand to over a million dollars. The Visionaries, which is a non-profit organization and has among the lowest budgets in the industry, has produced nationally broadcast programs similar to these at a fraction of the cost.
The profiled organization is responsible for the production budget, starting at approximately $30,000 for a fifteen-minute segment of an hour-long program, other productions may have varying production budgets.

What does that budget include?
It includes all cost of video production from concept to completion and ultimate broadcast. Also included are the cost of mastering and producing 1000 DVDs, and creation of an Internet downloadable and streaming version of the program the organizations can put on its web site.
This does not include travel expenses for a crew of four since that cost will vary widely depending on where the program is being shot.

What does the organization get in return for this commitment?
Beyond broadcast, the profiled organization receives a license to use the program for any purpose that advances its mission. In addition, it will receive 1000 DVD’s of its program to use as a development tool and an Internet link to allow supporters to download the program into their iPods or their desktop computers. Profiled organizations will also have the rights to use the raw footage for any non-commercial purpose.

What kind of guarantee does the profiled organization receive that the production will be completed and the program will be broadcast nationally?
The profiled organization will receive a signed co-production contract binding Visionaries to the production budget, and binding Starfish to a broadcast commitment.

Who has Editorial Control over the project?
Visionaries. That is the short answer. The longer explanation is this: it is important that these programs be seen and respected as a new genre of television that has both artistic merit and editorial integrity. The only way that can happen is if the creative people are allowed the freedom to practice their craft within the bounds of generally accepted journalistic standards.
It should be noted however that Visionaries believes the only way that it can fulfill its goal of creating Mission Driven Media is if the organization uses the programs it creates as a development tool. Therefore, it commits to work hand and glove with the organization to come to an understanding of how best to tell it’s story. Profiled(?) organizations will also have an opportunity to review programs prior to broadcast to point out errors, distortions and/or issues that might be misconstrued by the viewer.

How were the 100 organizations that have been invited to submit proposals been chosen?
There have been three categories. First, we looked for umbrella organizations that represented a broad constituency of non-profits; this includes advocacy organizations, non-profit associations and other groups whose story could be used to advance the mission of many charities. This is also important because these profiled organizations have the capacity to drive an audience to the programs and therefore increase the number of people who are introduced to the new network
Second, we looked for organizations that are off the beaten path of media coverage. In other words we want to tell stories that surprise the viewer, breakdown old stereotypes, and give voice to those who, otherwise, might not have access to national media.
Finally, Visionaries chose a small group of non-profits that it has worked with in the past. They were selected because they have proven ability to use media as a development tool and have a practical understanding of how Visionaries works in the field. This knowledge can be leveraged to help other non-profits who are participating in the project.

How many will be chosen?
No more than four organizations will be chosen in the first round that begins production in January 2008. Other successful applicants will be placed in the production lineup for future production.

What types of programs are you looking to produce?
We are interested in two types of programming proposals. The first is the One Hour Documentary. This might be a profile of a single organization or it may feature as many as four groups doing similar work. That gives viewers wide-ranging insight into an important social issue. The second is the Six-Part Mini-Series where each 30-minute episode can focus on a particular person, location or program.

What kind of work has Visionaries done in the past?
The Visionaries is the nation’s pre-eminent producer of non-profit media. It is a 12 year old 501(c)(3) charitable organizations that has produced more than 140 documentaries in 50 countries all over the world. Each of those programs have been broadcast on as many as 200 public television stations as part of its award winning series, Visionaries, hosted by Sam Waterston. In addition, it is the creator of the first fully accredited Master of Science Degree in Philanthropy and Media, at Suffolk University in Boston, MA and it is the founder of the Visionaries Institute International at Chester College of New England.

What is The Starfish Television Network?
The Starfish Television Network is a revolutionary new broadcast channel that gives voice to charitable organizations and helps them to better fulfill their missions. It is currently available in 16 million households via the Dish Network and will soon be on Comcast, Direct TV and other cable outlets that will bring it into an estimated 64 million homes. The Starfish Television Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. Its mission is to tell the stories of the nation's nonprofit organizations and deliver timely, accurate information and news about charitable and other worthy causes to educate, empower and entertain its viewers.
Starfish is a new network without ratings data.

Starfish is a network without ratings data, how do I measure viewership?
The honest answer is: you don’t. If an organization or a potential underwriter is considering this project based on a “cost per viewer” analysis then they should not participate. We are in the process of establishing and growing the country's first cable and satelite television channel for great charities of all kinds: you simply need to decide if you want to be part of that. Viewership numbers, over time, will be determined in part by the success of initiatives such as this one.

How do I evaluate the financial merit of the Project?
You need to ask yourself 4 questions:
1) Would a documentary about your work fulfill your mission and serve the greater good, by capturing and making available to a specific audience a story that exposes a need, solves a problem, unveils a new methodology, disseminates a replicable model, or otherwise reveals an essential truth?
2) Do you have a means to distribute 1000 DVD and/or Internet versions of the story and will that distribution advance your cause in some measurable way (i.e. fulfilling your advocacy goals, recruiting volunteers, raising funds or rallying people to a cause)? Maybe you want to develop an online educational program built around a six part series, or create a series of workshops or seminars, train volunteers or distribute them along with a curriculum guide to public schools.
3) How much would it cost to produce the same product if you were to hire the company down the street that does corporate videos?
4) Does branding your video as a “nationally broadcast documentary”, that is produced by one of the most experienced team of filmmakers in the country add value, make it more marketable and add luster to the project?
You should not apply unless, after asking these questions, your analysis determines that the project has value without viewership.

Can an organization raise money from underwriters who receive sponsorship opportunities on the Network?
Yes, all underwriters can receive “public television style” underwriting tags before and after each program. Underwriters of a Mini-Series can also receive sponsorship tags on promos of the series that will run throughout the day for two weeks leading up to broadcast and during the run of the series.

Are there other Underwriting Opportunities available to sponsors?
Yes. Underwriters can appear on the DVD and Internet versions of the program in expanded video segments that feature a spokesperson or brief profile of the underwriter.

How many times will our program run on Starfish?
Starfish will be licensed to air the program multiple times. It will air in various time slots, including prime-time, not less than six times over a period of one year, annually renewable at the option of the organization and Starfish.

What is “non-profit co-production”?
It is the antithesis of commercial television. Might want to add another sentence explaining exactly what it is… On mainstream TV, producers, broadcasters and advertisers collaborate to put programs on television that make as much money as possible for all involved parties. We are creating a new genre in which non-profit service organizations, a non-profit production company and a non-profit broadcaster, partner together to create programs that help as many people as possible. We call this new non-profit co-production approach "Mission Driven Media".

What is Mission Driven Media?
Mission Driven Media is a new genre of programming committed to elevating the extraordinary risks, sacrifices and positive contributions of the individuals and organizations who are helping to change the world in positive and meaningful ways. Beyond broadcast however, Mission Driven Media projects must have a practical and measurable impact.

What does that mean: practical and measurable impact?
Proponents of Mission Driven Media believe that every project should have a defined application beyond broadcast. For example, can the media be used in DVD form to recruit volunteers, educate the public in local venues or stimulate financial support through individual presentation?

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us directly by email or by calling (800) 647-5559. If you would like to move forward with this exciting new genre of television, simply fill out the Starfish TV application and include all of the requested information. We look forward to sharing your story with the world!