\\\\\\\Hey gang! For the last few years I’ve wanted to find ways for Distant Moon to invest in organizations, brands, and nonprofits who are also fighting for human flourishing around the world. Our mission at Distant Moon is “Human Flourishing through storytelling,” and we want to help you become more effective at reaching your audience!
So, I’m really excited to personally invite you to the Film Impact Summit, hosted by Distant Moon on September 12, 2025! I even recorded a little video about what you can expect if you attend.
This one-day event is limited to the first 50 people to register, so secure your spot today.
In-person will be far more insightful and impactful than watching it online later. You’ll have the chance to be in the room and engage directly with executives from:
- Kingdom Story Company
- Hillsdale College Online Courses
- Freethink + Big Think
- Top agencies behind successful nonprofit and issue-based campaigns
This is where the future of story-driven impact in education, philanthropy, and media converges.
And I want to give you a sneak peak!
I thought: how can I keep this from being just a “marketing email?” How can I bring value even to those who won’t be able to be in the room with us?
So between now and Monday, I’m going to send four simplified insights from our upcoming event straight to your inbox here. These are insights that you can use right now to transform the way you think about film, story, and impact.
On Monday I’ll talk about:
- Using true stories to turn viewers into advocates (and)
- Turning Your Story into a Box Office Success
And today I’m discussing:
- How to leverage audience-powered film instead of blind storytelling (and)
- Finding your niche, accepting risk, and leading your industry.
Let’s jump in!
1. Audience-powered film outperforms “blind storytelling”
Most filmmakers and storytellers wait until their project is finished to invite the audience in. That’s a mistake. Audience participation shouldn’t start at release of a film or video; it should begin in the earliest stages. When people help bring the project to life, they don’t just watch the film, they own it.
How to put this into practice:
- Message-Test Early: Share short written versions of your message (taglines, one-minute pitches, concept art) on email, social, or in small focus groups. Ask: What part sticks with you? What feels forgettable? Don’t wait until the whole film is locked to learn what resonates.
- Develop with Feedback: Create rough teaser clips or short prototypes of your story in different formats (animation vs. live action, interview vs. narrative). Put them in front of your audience and ask them what emotion they felt watching it. Did they laugh? Did they feel hope? Did they feel nothing?
- Always Share the Why, Not the How: Nobody falls in love with a process. People connect when they understand why this story matters and why their involvement will shape the outcome. When you communicate purpose, your audience feels part of the mission instead of spectators.
(This is something my friend Allen Thornburg and I have been shaping for months: Audience-Powered Filmmaking. I’m working on a much more thorough walk through of this process. If you’re interested in getting an in-depth first draft of this guide, let me know and I’ll pass it along when I have the first draft finished!)
2. Find your niche, take the risk to invest, and become the front-runner in your industry.
Hillsdale College didn’t just stumble into millions of learners. They took a bold risk. Years before there was evidence of demand, they poured time, money, and energy into developing cinematic online courses. At the time, the idea of turning a college lecture into a binge-worthy video series sounded untested (even risky). At the time, nobody except a new startup called “Masterclass” was even trying to create this new category. Hillsdale took the plunge. They created a new category: Cinematic Online Learning like Masterclass, but with a documentary-style immersion and a classical liberal arts devotion to truth. Nobody was doing this. Now, eight years later, everyone tries to copy them.
The lesson: there is no meaningful storytelling or audience-building without risk, but the best risks create their own category and define it as the first entrant.
How to apply this mindset:
- Find your WHY, create an industry-defining product, and invest before you see returns: Past performance doesn’t indicate future success, but Hillsdale is a case study in defining a new category and then taking calculated risk to invest before there’s a guaranteed audience. Make your story as if millions will watch, even if only a hundred do at first.
- Bet on Quality: Hillsdale didn’t just record professors at a lectern. They built sets, filmed with professional crews, and treated education like cinema. That upfront risk created an experience audiences actually wanted.
- Understand That Risk is the Soil of Growth: If you’re waiting for certainty before investing in film, you’ll always be behind. Risk is the unavoidable price of breakthrough.
Hillsdale’s courage created a platform that now serves millions annually. Their success proves the power of creating your own niche and then being willing to take calculated risks. This combination is not optional. It’s essential.
OK! So those two insights are just a sneak peak (and trust me the presenters at our event are going to be way more gripping and insightful than my little summaries)! Next week, I’ll share how the most effective campaigns use true stories to turn passive viewers into lifelong advocates, and why even blockbuster hits follow a set of storytelling “rules” you can’t afford to ignore. These two insights could change not only how you tell your story, but whether anyone actually listens.
I’ll see ya then! But in the meantime, sign up for our in person summit now before seats fill up!
Here’s to Human Flourishing!
–Ian
Join Us at the Summit!
These are just starting points. At the Impact Film Summit, we’ll dive deeper into frameworks, show examples from inside campaigns, and give you tools to build films that inspire and sustain growth.
📅 Date: September 12, 2025
📍 Location: Hotel Burg, Leesburg, VA
🎟 Register Now—Limited to 50 People
👉 Want to learn more? Watch the video below!