Economists join with labor activists at news conference to mark 40th anniversary of King assassination.

Case Study | Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) "Beyond Brown"

Client: McKinney & Associates was pleased to be engaged by PBS to partner with its promotional team on its release of the documentary Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise, broadcast nationally on May 12, 2004. The documentary, directed by award winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson and Firelight Media, was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal apartheid in America.

Challenge: The strategic approach of the firm was to connect the documentary to the 50th anniversary of Brown by offering it as PBS’s central exploration of the decision and the most comprehensive film to date exploring the impact of the Brown ruling.  McKinney & Associates was tasked with coordinating for PBS a premier screening of Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise in the Washington, DC-area prior to the national broadcast.  The screening was originally envisioned to pique interest for the national broadcast and to be a stakeholder event for PBS to cultivate stronger relationships with the Congressional Black Caucus.

Solution: The firm advised PBS to broaden its scope to include civil rights groups and other advocacy organizations with considerable stakeholder clout and large constituencies whose support could also help position the network. The firm was able to secure co-sponsorship of the screening with PBS and Firelight Media from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF), the education and research arm of the premier civil rights umbrella organization.  The firm coordinated production and distribution of an invitation, site selection, catering, scripting and onsite management.

Following the broadcast launch, McKinney supported a national distribution campaign with Firelight Media, conducting outreach for public screenings by civic, religious, education and civil rights organizations across the country.

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From staging press conferences, to organizing legislative conferences, to supporting black-tie galas, McKinney & Associates has expertise in launching visionary events for clients.

• Conference/Meeting Planning
• Script Writing
• Special Event Planning and Execution
• Stage Management