Coverage for a Cause: PR Class Helps Promote Nonprofit Film Festival

By Ashley Janik, public relations senior

Dave Junker and his Public Relations Techniques class put their skills to the test this summer by helping to promote the third-annual Lights Camera HelpFilm Festival, the world’s only film festival dedicated to nonprofit films, founded by alumni David Neff and Aaron Bramley.

PR 348 is a skill-building class for public relations majors, emphasizing media writing and how to pitch news stories to the media.

“We had a lot of film submissions this year and really wanted to gain exposure for the festival,” said Neff.

Dr. Junker and his class helped them do just that.

Students wrote official news releases and a media advisory. They also wrote posts for the Lights Camera Help blog and created customized pitch letters. Each letter was fashioned to generate media interest in specific aspects of the festival, from the films selected, to the nonprofits and causes they depict.

Students’ pitches were very successful, leading to articles in the Austin American-Statesman, TheAustinist.com, KEYE television news and various blogs that cover nonprofit and advocacy issues.

“It’s been great working with Lights Camera Help because the film festival is a newsworthy event on a local level,” said Junker. “If students are savvy and tactful, they have a good chance of getting some media coverage for their pitches.”

Senior Skye Ochoa, a double-major in public relations and broadcast journalism, was able to get an interview on KEYE with Aaron Bramley, director of education and communications for Lights Camera Help.

Ochoa chose a specific reporter to send her pitch to, and she coordinated the interview with Bramley and the production staff. 

Through such media coverage, students helped expose new audiences to key messages, such as Bramley’s articulation of how the festival is a platform for films that “offer insight and incite giving.”

“We want people to come out and see these films and get inspired to help out a cause,” Bramley said.

Thanks to Junker’s PR 348, the festival got greater exposure than past years, hopefully inspiring more people through the insights of great nonprofit films.