Event marketing for
Cherokee Federal Leadership Summit
Video:
CD: Ben Elder
AD: Dwayne Wegley
Presentation:
CD: Stephanie Pinkston
AD: Crystal Walters
There were considerable opportunities for growth in the federal contracting sector in 2020 and 2021. Key to this growth was motivating and inspiring a team located in all 50 states, many of whom had had abruptly transitioned to working from home.
No matter where project managers were located, we wanted them to feel included in Cherokee Federal's unique mission and organizational culture. Due to COVID, we needed to host a completely virtual leadership summit.
I wrote a "hype video" script, assisted our art director with storyboards, edited a 70+ slide presentation for the business unit president, and hosted my first-ever virtual WebEx Event. No pressure.
Technical issues for the WebEx event were identified and resolved during rehearsal. Communicating with senior IT staff, I wrote documentation with workaround solutions for all participants.
More than 200 program managers, 95% of those invited, attended the event.
Division revenue dramatically exceeded expectations in FY 2021, even for a year where the federal contracting sector generally outperformed.
Cherokee Federal, one of three core business units for Cherokee Nation Businesses, is among the leading federal contractors in the U.S., currently ranked #53 in Bloomberg’s BGOV200 report, and has earned more than USD$12 billion in contract wins since 2004.
FADE IN
MUSIC CUE: A down-tempo section of “Finding Hope” by Sebastian Haas
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAWN
MEDA NIX is looking out through the window of her back porch. She walks into the living room to prepare for the day. Nearby, there are family photos, one or two photos of Meda that were taken during her military service and her Cherokee Nation Medal of Patriotism.
Meda walks to her front door. She takes along a mask and a photograph. She opens the door and walks outside.
EXT. ON THE ROAD – DAY
Meda drives down the road.
EXT. CHEROKEE VETERANS MEMORIAL - DAY
Meda gets out of her car and closes the door. As she stands up, she puts on a mask, but we can’t make out the message on it, yet. She walks to the memorial. Nearby, flags are flying.
Once she is at the memorial, the message on her mask become clear. It reads: PROUD CHEROKEE VETERAN
Meda salutes the flag.
END MUSIC CUE
MUSIC CUE: An up-tempo section of “Finding Hope” by Sebastian Haas
EXT. WASHINGTON, D.C. – DUSK (ARCHIVE)
Across the water, we can see the Washington Monument.
ANIMATION OVERLAY
A diagonal line with a dot at the lower-left of the line appears. A number tracks the movement of the dot and counts up as it follows the line, starting at [revenue figure] and ending at [revenue figure] which becomes part of the super.
SUPER: [$$$] IN CONTRACT WINS SINCE 2012
A second diagonal line appears, with a number tracking the line from 0 (ZERO) to [number of fulfilled contracts], which becomes part of the super.
SUPER: [XXXX] FEDERAL MISSIONS COMPLETED SINCE 2012
DISSOLVE TO a collage of professional headshots.
SUPER: AN ARMY OF AMBASSADORS
The collage takes the shape of a U.S. map.
SUPER: IN 50 STATES
The collage takes the shape of a map of the world.
SUPER: AND [XX] COUNTRIES
The map of the world rearranges into a large grid of photos.
SUPER: [number of staff] STRONG.
EXT. FIGHTER JET FOOTAGE (ARCHIVE)
Fighter jets move in formation.
SUPER: A Mission-Driven Team
EXT. OPEN OCEAN – DAY (ARCHIVE)
A naval vessel moves over the water.
SUPER: Of Limitless Innovation
EXT. SKY – DAY (ARCHIVE)
Drones are in flight.
SUPER: And Deep Technical Expertise
INT. ELECTRONIC GUTS OF DRONE – DAY (ARCHIVE)
The words follow the general path of the PCB traces (e.g. the shiny metal lines).
SUPER: CYBERSECURITY
SUPER: DATA ANALYTICS
SUPER: CLOUD APPLICATIONS
SUPER: TELEHEALTH
SUPER: LOGISTICS
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OFFICES – DAY (ARCHIVE)
A handshake.
SUPER: Committed To Building A Brighter Future
EXT. HILLS ON A FARM – DAWN (ARCHIVE)
The sun is just beginning to rise.
SUPER: Solving America’s Greatest Challenges
INT. PHOTO OF A WARFIGHTER – DAY (ARCHIVE)
SUPER: And Serving Her Mission
BLACK
SUPER: Moving Forward For One Cause
The music becomes quieter.
The Cherokee Nation seal appears for a moment. Behind it...
INT. CHEROKEE IMMERSION SCHOOL CLASSROOM – DAY
Meda Nix enters her workplace. She places the photo she brought along beside her laptop.
INT. FAMILY HOME – DAY
Colored pencils rest beside a pencil sharpener and a NEARLY FINISHED THANK-YOU CARD.
A GIRL finishes breakfast with her family. Her MOM shows her a flash card in Cherokee, the girl answers, and her mom flips it over. The girl smiles. Mom turns on the girl’s laptop on a desk in a study area.
INT. VIRTUAL CLASSROOM – DAY
The girl puts the last few flourishes on her THANK-YOU CARD as HER TEACHER, Meda Nix, instructs the VIRTUAL CLASS.
INT. CHEROKEE IMMERSION SCHOOL – DAY
Meda shares a photo of herself during her military service with the class.
INT. VIRTUAL CLASSROOM – DAY
The girl holds up her card, written in the Cherokee language, which reads, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.”
INT. FAMILY HOME – DAY
The girl puts down the card and salutes her teacher.
SUPER: BUILDING THE FUTURE
BLACK
CGI: ANIMATED CHEROKEE FEDERAL LOGO
FADE OUT