Nothing about this year was business as usual. So, this letter is nothing like we have ever written before. This comes from our heart, as it is the heart of the employees of our company that kept us together during a year where we collectively experienced changes and events in our country that were as profound as anything that any of us have seen in our lifetimes.
When the pandemic hit, we knew we would need artists, creatives, activists and cultural organizers more than ever. With that spirit, The Soze Foundation, a non-profit organization, in partnership with TaskForce and Invisible Hand, immediately launched a relief fund that supported artists and activists whose work had been negatively impacted by COVID-19. We received over 15,000 applications and were able to distribute $311,300, supporting 1,089 artists + activists in every state in the country, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.
While the foundation was doing its part, our company, like every other company in the world, was navigating a very difficult path forward. Since its inception, compassion has been in Soze’s DNA. No matter what was to come, we would stay committed to our core value of compassion, as we believe compassion fosters optimism. Compassion allows our faith and energy to return. When we are compassionate with ourselves, each other, and those we work with each day, we create reservoirs of hope and optimism. We find our way. We continue to tell stories.
The work of storytellers, of cultural organizers, is one that comes with a tremendous duty. To hold someone's story is something that requires a great deal of responsibility. There is something very sacred about the work that we do, and we don't always speak about it so plainly. It can be lost in the day-to-day nature of our tasks, or in the trail of emails, or in the urgency of meeting a deadline, or when hopping onto another zoom call. But, it is the stories that keep us moving forward.
As we continued throughout the year, we worked alongside a roster of incredible partners and told important stories. When we started this company five years ago, we dedicated ourselves to only doing work we believed in. Through the pandemic, the summer of racial justice protests and the election, we stayed true to that commitment. It has been a challenging year, as we have lost loved ones to the virus, witnessed more deaths of Black people at the hands of the police and endured an election that pushed our country to its limit. But, our work continues. The stories must be told.
And now, as we look ahead to 2021, we are closing the chapter on a humbling first five years of The Soze Agency. We’re eternally grateful to everyone who has contributed to building this company, and to those who have supported us along the way. Creating this company was an extraordinary experiment. We asked ourselves, could we create something that was grounded and guided by a set of values, and operate off of a triple bottom line: people, planet, profit? Could we create a company that was worker-owned and have our values reflected in everything that we do as a company? In our behaviors, norms, culture and policies?
Our first question, really, was "what does it really mean to be worker-owned and why does it matter." We were first drawn to the employee ownership model as a way to build a company with equity at the center of both our internal and external practices. Upon the recent completion of a financial feasibility analysis, transaction model, and democratic governance system, we have begun the process of formalizing legal agreements and training for the new worker-owners, marking our last steps before the business’ official conversion. Over the next several months, we hope to share as much as we can about our process with the world. In the spirit of radical transparency, we look forward to sharing our learnings and hope it might inspire others to consider becoming a worker-owned company.
It’s been difficult to celebrate anything amid so much grief and collective pain. However, we have been working towards becoming a worker cooperative for five years, and with an insurmountable amount of gratitude to our consultants at the ICA group, we are so proud and it is with so much joy to announce two new owners of the company, Qori Broaster and Reed Nelson.
As we look to the new year, and the next five years of the company, the Soze team is ready to get to work on issues that are critical to the success and health of our country and our world.
Our task at hand is enormous and urgent. But we continue to work towards a more equitable and compassionate world that we believe is within reach.
We wish you and your families a peaceful holiday season and let joy come in the new year!
THE SOZE AGENCY CO-OWNERS
2020 HIGHLIGHTS
We were honored to work on projects and participate in campaigns that were fueled by compassion, authenticity and equity — our 3 core values. We have the privilege of only doing work we believe in and that we’re proud of, and without our incredible clients and partners it wouldn’t be possible.
Here are some highlights from the past year:
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO: “TIME”
We had the honor of supporting Garrett Bradley’s new film, Time, for which she won Best Director for US Documentary at Sundance this year.
Brilliant artists and activists amplified this breathtaking film, which follows the incredible story of Fox Rich — an entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys — who has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who sentenced to a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in a moment of desperation in the early ‘90s.
AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS
We continued our partnership with American Eagle Outfitters, in our second year of the AExME Youth Council, a group of socially-conscious young people who advise the corporate leadership of the brand on major issues like climate change, racial equity, voting, diversity, LGBTQ issues and others. This council met regularly throughout a challenging year and gave honest feedback on these issues and others in real-time.
A NEW WAY OF LIFE
The Soze Agency partnered with A New Way of Life to celebrate and uplift a year of perseverance and dedication, in a time unlike any other. Through powerful storytelling, musical performance, and appearances from special guests, we gathered virtually to showcase the impact A New Way of Life has on women, families and communities across the globe.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE
In partnership with the Soze Agency, APATT hosted a town hall and launched a full-year campaign executing their mission to uplift the stories of young people experiencing basic needs insecurities. However, with the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, we created Flip the Table Crew (The Crew), a group of activist and leaders whose voices are invaluable to the conversation to end hunger in America. Each member was an active member of their community, the youth, hunger, or poverty spaces.
BECOMING AMERICA FESTIVAL
In the days before the 2020 November election, The Soze Agency produced the Becoming America Festival, a festival of content—funded by the Pop Culture Collaborative—with the goal of inspiring young people to vote.
We tapped into the audiences of the most influential voices in art, pop culture and activism to reach eligible voters across America. With the support of almost 50 celebrities and influencers, the Becoming America Festival received over 16,000,000 views across all content, including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
CELEBRATE IMMIGRANTS + IMMIGRANT HERITAGE MONTH
For our sixth year in partnership with FWD.us, produced a photo series with the brilliant photographer Shayan Asgharnia, featuring almost 50 influencers, artists and activists for Immigrant Heritage Month. With a global shift due to COVID, we also produced virtual events throughout Immigrant Heritage Month, including a Game Night and concert, both of which lifted up the importance of immigrant culture and heritage.
COLLEGE & COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP
We tailored CCF’s annual gala to create an engaging virtual experience highlighting the moments leading up to this year’s theme: 20 Years, 20 Stories. We programmed and produced 75-minutes of celebratory content, including a poetry reading by Mahogany L. Browne, a musical performance by Resistance Revival Chorus, an intimate discussion between Dominique Morgan and Vivian Nixon, powerful testimonial from CCF alumnae, and inspiring remarks from our keynote speaker, Opal Tometi.
FAITH IN ACTION
We developed a branding and marketing communication plan that included naming, messaging, and creative direction for Faith in Action’s voter registration and GOTV efforts.
The purpose of this campaign was to reclaim the meaning of faith, and motivate often ignored voters to make change at the ballot box. We sought to do this by leading an urgent uprising of faith-led BIPOC voters, because when we overcome voter suppression — and everyone who has a right to vote DOES vote — the true results of our democracy can be seen.
FORMERLY INCARCERATED & CONVICTED PEOPLE
AND FAMILIES MOVEMENT
In the era of COVID-19, we had to get creative in how we gather community. Though we had originally planned for an in-person conference for 1,000 people, we had to bring the experience online.
This year's virtual conference theme was: #WhatsAtStake. The two days of programming were hosted by Brittany Packnett Cunningham and featured the voices of FICPFM members and others, like John Legend, Mitchell Jackson, Josie Duffy Rice, Asha Bandele, Dwayne Betts and more. Together, we explored a diverse set of topics within the criminal legal system.
IMMIGRANTS ARE ESSENTIAL
Immigrants are Essential is an ongoing campaign that uplifts the stories of immigrant essential workers through storytelling and art. Coordinated in partnership with the National Immigration Law Center and Resilience Force, the campaign’s central message is to remind the country that immigrants are essential to driving economic and social recovery in the U.S. We’ve used art as a primary avenue to communicate this message.
During the election season, we created PSAs, public art murals in Miami, and digital billboards, along with original social media content to increase our reach. Since launching, the campaign has reached a cumulative audience of over 130 million people, which continues to grow.
JUSTLEADERSHIP USA
In partnership with JustLeadershipUSA, The Soze Agency launched the #JustUs campaign to provide a platform for allies and supporters of criminal justice reform to call for federal and state legislatures to protect the incarcerated population in the U.S. — specifically in times of a pandemic or natural/man-made disaster.
The #JustUs campaign was amplified on billboards across the country to draw attention to the issue and urge people to take action. The campaign launched ahead of Rebuilding the Table, a two-day virtual event to accompany the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Additionally, after developing the Kentucky Mobilization Report to lay out engagement opportunities for recently re-enfranchised Kentuckians, The Soze Agency partnered with local leaders and organizations to execute the #JusticeVotesKY campaign. As a localized arm of JustLeadershipUSA’s national #JusticeVotes campaign, the Kentucky-focused efforts brought to life the strategy laid out in the report.
NO PLASTIC WASTE
The Soze Agency launched the No Plastics Waste digital campaign during The United Nations’ Climate Week in 2019. Since that launch, the campaign has earned 500M+ impressions and 166k+ followers. Our digital and creative teams have posted over 50,000 pieces of well-curated content, and created over 650 original art pieces for the #NoPlasticWaste campaign. Lastly, the campaign has secured over 20,000 signatures on a petition calling on all petrol-chemical companies to end the production of all new plastics.
This year, due to the success of the campaign, The Minderoo Foundation adopted “No Plastic Waste” as the name of their umbrella initiative, and the @No_plasticwaste digital channels are the voice of this initiative and brand.
NYC VOTES
To capitalize on the national attention surrounding the 2020 election cycle, NYC Votes launched a campaign targeting Generation Z, an untapped generation of eligible voters, to educate and inspire them to create a culture of civic engagement across New York City for this year and beyond.
NYC Votes worked to establish educational, communications, and leadership platforms that drive empowerment within young people’s communities, substantially increasing voter participation and bridging the gap between them and their government.
This also included youth ambassadors to ensure there was a continued and consistent engagement with young people, and a pre-recorded Vote By Mail youth town hall.
SEX WORKERS' POP-UP
The Sex Workers’ Pop-Up was an exhibition in New York City featuring artwork and performances about sex work around the world. Labeling sex workers as villains or victims won’t improve lives or society, but labor protections and human rights will.
The exhibition featured the work of 21 artists, and through artwork, narrative elements, and performances we were able to educate over 2,000 guests in three days about the problem of criminalization of sex work.
In addition to branding the event, we also ran a robust OOH campaign focusing on NYC subways and buses.
SCHOOL LUNCH FOR ALL
School Lunch For All was created in partnership with Galaxy Gives to end school lunch debt and ensure long-term access to school meals for all students in America. Through persistent dedication to the work alongside our many campaign partners, we were able to launch a petition demanding School Lunch for All, which garnered 22k+ signatures in tandem with a coordinated, multi-channel social media campaign.
Furthermore, we partnered in the development and introduction of the Pandemic Childhood Hunger Prevention Act this past August. While the legislation has not passed, School Lunch For All has had a direct hand in ensuring all students have access to meals for the 2020-2021 school year through expanded school meal waivers. The work is not over, but these wins in the middle of an evolving pandemic have been no small feat.
THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
In our second year of partnership with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, we further developed our relationships with the artists and cultural leaders that have become trusted messengers of the organization's work. We launched #AndStillIVote in March, a campaign to lift up the issues of voting and voter suppression, and it has amassed over 500,000,000 potential impressions with the help of the artists and activists we’ve enlisted as ambassadors for this work.
Cristela Alonzo, Schuyler Bailar, Travon Free, Sam White, Jenny Yang, Iyanla Vanzant, Baratunde Thurston, Mayor Aja Brown, Rob Hill Sr., and more joined The Leadership Conference’s podcast, Pod For The Cause, to discuss pressing civil and human rights issues.
We also supported the organization’s 2020 Census work as well, with engagements from folks like Kelly McCreary, Yvette Nicole Brown, Debbie Allen, Peppermint Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Jason Collins and more.
VITAL STRATEGIES
Soze worked with Vital Strategies on the creative strategy, branding and execution of two campaigns focused on staunching the spread of COVID-19.
The first was “Be the One,” a white-label marketing and communications campaign focused on creating trust, especially within Black and Latinx communities, on why they needed to “Be the One” in participating in contact tracing programs. Since Black and Latinx communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, active participation within these communities is essential to stopping the spread of coronavirus.
The second campaign was a digital and OOH to encourage voter safety in Franklin County, Ohio during the 2020 Presidential election.
YOGA ALLIANCE
Faced with unprecedented uncertainty, we supported the Yoga Alliance as they navigated an industry-wide pivot toward at-home participation, aiding them with their communication and branding strategies throughout the transition.
In the latter half of the year, we developed the strategy for a multi-phase campaign, All for Yoga, that will tell the story of YA during this time, while also sharing the value of the organization to members [and non-members] over the next six months in a three-phase approach, further aiding Yoga Alliance in redefining their values and expanding their target audience. This included the creation of a campaign manifesto, storytelling model, branding package and newsletter and social media strategy.
WE’RE PROUD TO WORK WITH ALL OUR AMAZING CLIENTS AND PARTNERS
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
Taylor Desmangles
Taylor Desmangles is a social media director who loves all things wellness and social justice. Throughout her career, she’s developed social media content and strategy for organizations such as The California Endowment, The California Census, Black Women United, Rock The Vote and more. She's interviewed a variety of influential people--from musical artist, Torey Lanez to civil rights activist, Dolores Huerta and produced videos for campaigns rooted in making long lasting change.
She's passionate about mental health, real talk and creating a world where the healing of Black and Brown people is prioritized and normalized.
Imani Flowers
Imani Flowers works in the strategy department as a Senior Coordinator. She channels her skills into changing narratives and giving voices to marginalized people to ultimately make an impact in others’ lives. She sees learning from people as a window to new opportunities and relationships that build on her curiosity.
Prior to Soze, Imani worked as a brand planner at Ogilvy, on accounts such as Citizens Bank, IKEA, Ad Council, IBM, and American Express. She earned her BA in English, with minors in Africana studies and communication.
Alexandria Hunter
Alexandria is a strategic thinker and certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Prior to joining Soze, her career journey traveled through freelance consulting, creative strategy at DoSomething Strategic, program management with Black Girls CODE, and many years as a professional services consultant across industries at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
She has a strong passion for leveraging creativity and innovation to produce authentic, transformative, and sustainable work, particularly that which centers around empowering historically marginalized communities and educational equity.
Sam Moreira
Sam Moreira is a Senior Coordinator working in the experiential department. She is driven by the opportunity live experiences offer to cultivate genuine connections between communities and the organizations that serve them. She aims to leverage her production experience to combat mental health disparities in marginalized communities and the negative portrayals of minorities in media and entertainment. Prior to Soze, she graduated Cum Lade from Long Island University with a BA in Business Management, entered the industry producing events at CSM Sports & Entertainment, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Farewell
Nijeul X. Porter
At The Soze Agency, we believe that exits are just as important as entrances. As we close out 2020, we are also saying goodbye to one of our amazing partners + friends, Nijeul X. Porter.
NXP is more than just a creative. He is a true visionary. Since he joined us in 2017, Nijeul has been dedicated to serve our communities no matter what the obstacles appear to be. He is always speaking life into everyone who crosses his path, he's deeply rooted in what it means to provide for Black people + communities of color, he knows how to set standards and encourages others to do so as well. He's created brave spaces for Black creatives on our team to be 100% themselves, is always reminding us to make time for self care + has never backed away from a challenge.
Nijeul is a truth teller, innovator, spiritual savant, natural leader + so much more. Nijeul, we are so very thankful for all of the genius ideas you've brought to the table, your dedication to the work, passion for the people + the endless ancestral wisdom you've shared.We wish you nothing but the absolute best on your new adventures + cannot wait to see where these journeys take you. Thank you for your kindness, realness, for always being yourself + for teaching us about ourselves. So much peace + love!
“For 2021, I'm hoping to invest more deeply in strengthening my own mind, body and soul in order to better serve my community. 2020 has showcased that life is too short and we must do things now--there is no need to wait." -NXP