Organization Case Study
The Producers Guild of America
“Shifting Mental Heath Storytelling”
Online Panel Event
CLIENT: The PGA
YEAR: 2023
SERVICES:
Creative, Participant Casting, Panel Moderation, Live Online Event
THE OPPORTUNITY
SEEING THE NEED FOR CONVERSATION BEFORE ANYONE ASKED
The Producers Guild of America didn’t come to The Shift Productions looking for this event. The Shift Productions approached them.
The insight was straightforward but underserved: Many PGA members were the exact people sitting at the intersection of mental health storytelling and creator wellbeing - making content about mental health while personally navigating what it costs to make it. That tension was real, it was unaddressed in any current programming, and it was exactly the kind of conversation The Shift Productions is built to hold.
The challenge wasn't identifying the need. It was convincing a prestigious professional membership organization to take a risk on a topic they had never directly addressed, and then delivering something worthy of that trust.
OBJECTIVES
→ Expand their community beyond existing membership
→ Drive a conversation that felt authentic to industry trends, concerns and opportunities
→ Deliver practical, participatory opportunities and best practices for creator emotional wellbeing
→ Provide freshness and fun while engaging with new information
→ Enable content and experience to remain accessible and relevant beyond live event
THE APPROACH
BUILDING THE CONVICTION, THEN BUILDING THE ROOM
The Shift pitched, designed and produced Shifting Mental Health Storytelling: Digital Creators, Hollywood & Beyond from the ground up - a one-hour virtual panel moderated by Mo Isern, Co-Founder of The Shift Productions.
The casting was the proof of concept. Six panelists spanning 9 genres, from scripted drama and reality TV to nonprofit content, comedy, and clinical psychiatry. The room made the argument that this conversation was serious, credible, and necessary. The PGA said yes. What happened next surprised them.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
→ The Original Concept & Pitch - The Shift identified the opportunity and brought it to the PGA
→ Format Development - repeatable, scalable panel structure designed for wide participation
→ Panelist Sourcing & Casting - recruited 6 panelists across 9 genres within The Shift Production's network
→ Full Creative & Run of Show - in-show content, structure, and pacing
→ Panel Moderation - Mo Isern moderated live, guiding the conversation with expertise and care
→ Mental Health Guardrails - clinical input throughout content development and live event
→ Community Activation - organic outreach enabled attendance from both within and beyond the organization’s membership
The Work
The PGA's most attended panel event
·
350+ event registrations
·
9x typical online event attendance
·
Over 800% lift in community engagement
·
The PGA's most attended panel event · 350+ event registrations · 9x typical online event attendance · Over 800% lift in community engagement ·
Proof in Action
THE PGA SAID YES.
What happened next surprised them.
350+ registrations. 9x typical attendance. And a client who didn't know they needed this event until they saw what it could do. The response from PGA members was immediate and personal. Several reached out directly to The Shift Productions after the event to ask for help with their own projects.
350+
Event registrations
9x
Typical online event attendance
+800%
Lift in community engagement
“I absolutely love what you and The Shift Productions team have been working on at the PGA and within the entertainment community surrounding mental health. We definitely need more smart, driven, and compassionate people like you as leaders in our industry. “
- PGA Member, Post Event Feedback
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