Clients and Work Samples
From gun violence prevention to renewable energy; film & television production to veteran empowerment, we help our clients build a new narrative.
EveryTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY
Bringing Veterans’ Voices to Gun Violence Prevention
Cultural Advocacy & Program Development
Everytown for Gun Safety / Moms Demand Action is the nation’s leading gun violence prevention organization. When they saw a need to diversify their messaging strategy by adding veteran voices, they brought in Marvin Strategies. The ongoing project involves building a national veteran advisory council, defining the veteran voice in gun violence prevention, executing a communications and publicity strategy, and spreading the movement to the field.
HBO
Shaping the Portrayal of Veterans in Film & Television
Media Production & Program Development
HBO has long been a supporter of veterans through original content and philanthropic support of nonprofits. They hired Marvin Strategies to work on specific film and television projects that featured veteran characters, as well as to advise on a reshaping of their veteran-related corporate social responsibility strategy. Amongst others, the firm worked most directly on the HBO feature film Nightingale and Cinemax’s series Quarry. Previous related work included collaboration on HBO’s Concert for Valor.
““Veterans like Mr. Marvin...are pushing back against the stereotype...going behind the scenes in the entertainment industry to push writers, television networks and Hollywood executives to present characters that show the full scope of veterans’ experiences.””
PRESIDIO TRUST
Planning a Campus for Social Innovation
Cultural Advocacy
Fort Winfield Scott is the last major un-renovated parcel at the Presidio of San Francisco. The Presidio Trust brought in Marvin Strategies to work with an internal team on the development of a vision for Fort Scott. The result was a plan outlining a campus for social innovation that allowed the Trust to enter a formal process of receiving and reviewing multi-million dollar proposals. The final product was entitled Fort Winfield Scott: Reactivating a Legacy of Service.
CROOKED MEDIA
Reclaiming the Idea of Patriotism for All Americans
Media Production
Crooked Media brought in former Navy pilot and congressional candidate Ken Harbaugh to speak to audiences about the true meaning of Patriotism. Marvin Strategies served as a producer to develop the vision of the show and design interviews with prominent Americans that would capture a new point of view on a subject often considered to be owned by the political right. Reclaiming Patriotism aired as part of the Crooked Minis series in July 2019.
USO
Listening and Understanding the Lives of Military Spouses
Cultural Advocacy
For decades the USO has served troops overseas and at home. As they endeavored to expand their services within the military spouse community they sought the services of Marvin Strategies. Dozens of interviews conducted using a human centered design approach informed a detailed report on military spouses and how they can be better served. The final product was The Backbone of Our Military: Perceptions and Experiences from Modern Military Spouses.
BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER
Building a Modern, Agile Military
Cultural Advocacy
The Bipartisan Policy Center is known for convening high-level former government, military, and policy leaders to develop solutions to difficult political challenges. They retained Marvin Strategies to help assemble their Task Force on Defense Personnel and construct the resulting report. The outcome was a diverse task force that pushed for novel ideas and innovations within the Pentagon’s HR function. The ultimate outcome will be policy and legislation that will serve to enhance the quality of the U.S. military. The final report was entitled Building a Fast Force: A Flexible Personnel System for a Modern Military.
HISTORY / A&E NEtWORKs
Creating a Campaign Around Creative Content
Media Production & Program Development
For HISTORY’s second scripted dramatic show, the network focused on Navy SEALs through the show SIX. To ensure the fair and accurate portrayals, HISTORY brought in Marvin Strategies. From script review to partnership development, the engagement spanned the entire life of the show and allowed HISTORY to have a unique engagement with the veteran community.
THOUGHtFul robot Productions
The Power of Documentary Storytelling
Media Production & Cultural Advocacy
The production team behind the Emmy-nominated Almost Sunrise sought out Marvin Strategies to design and build an impact campaign for the documentary. When PBS requested additional content to air along side the film’s premiere, Thoughtful Robot Productions partnered with Marvin Strategies to write and produce a 15-minute doc short called Voices of Resilience, which explored moral injury and society’s role in war in a way never seen on broadcast television.
““Marvin appreciates the way a big movie can get people talking, but he sees a greater opportunity in the less overt instances of militarism in pop culture...””
MILITARY CHIld education coalition
Capacity Building for Military Families
Program Development
When the Military Child Education Coalition received a capacity building grant from the Gates Foundation, they targeted Marvin Strategies to lead the exploration. From funder relationship to collaborative partnership, the engagement allowed a small nonprofit to build their network in an ever more crowded space.
Bob Woodruff Foundation
Assessing Impact of Charitable Giving
Measurement and Evaluation
After a decade of work in the veteran space, the Bob Woodruff Foundation wanted to know more than if their money was being used properly; they wanted to understand the ripple effect their funding had for the entire ecosystem. They enlisted Marvin Strategies to design and implement a research project that will answer their questions and help define the next ten years of giving.
HU HONUA BIOENERGY
Introducing a Community to a New Way to Produce Energy
Cultural Advocacy
Hu Honua Bioenergy was primed to be Hawai‘i’s first timber-fed bioenergy power producer, but after losing a contract with the local power company a new ownership group had to re-establish relationships with the utility, the government, and locals. Marvin Strategies was part of a team of consultants and lawyers that helped redefine the mission and approach of Hu Honua (now called Honua Ola) and convince the community of the benefits of renewable energy from biomass. The result was a re-approval of the power purchase agreement and a resumption of construction.
Marvin Strategies is certified by the Small Business Administration as a service-disabled veteran owned small business.