Case Study
Represent Justice
Transforming Narratives Around the Criminal Justice System
About the client
Represent Justice advocates for a fair legal system and human dignity, using narratives of hope and redemption to address systemic issues.
Our Work
Based on the Bryan Stevenson memoir, 2019’s Just Mercy stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larsen in a story depicting the systemic racism imbued throughout our criminal justice system.
Raben partnered with producer Scott Budnick and production company 1Community to raise $10 million for an unprecedented national social impact and public engagement campaign that built on the film’s emotional power to draw audiences closer to the disproportionately negative impact of the criminal justice system on communities of color and the poor, mobilizing the public to take action.
Raben developed the campaign strategy and launched a 501c3 (Represent Justice) to deploy the campaign. We managed the implementation of all strategy and tactics to mobilize more than 200 partner organizations at key moments, including surrounding the release of Just Mercy in theaters and on video-on-demand.
Raben also engaged both celebrity influencers and political leaders to promote the film’s impact through the Represent Justice campaign. This included more than 200 influencers to spread the message of both the film and the campaign, including the movie’s stars Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson, as well as Chris Martin, former President Barack Obama, Emily Ratajkowski, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kim Kardashian West, Karlie Kloss, LeBron James, Mark Zuckerberg, and more, as well as 10+ U.S. Governors, 50+ District Attorneys, and 100+ legislators who used the film as a tool to further state and local policy reforms.
The Outcome
Our efforts included building a community of more than 100,000 members/email supporters, securing more than 100 feature stories of the Represent Justice campaign, generating a combined reach of over 42 million media impressions.
In response to the deadly impact of COVID-19 on incarcerated populations, Raben helped Represent Justice mobilize more than 3,000 phone calls to governors and sheriffs, which led to the decarceration of low-level offenders across multiple states experiencing coronavirus outbreaks in prisons and jails.
