Companies can no longer rely just on financial returns. Now, investors want to see companies social impact report cards. As the social impact revolution continues to evolve, more companies are being judged on how their actions are affecting their local communities. Most recently, the concept of social impact entertainment (SIE) is transcending the way Hollywood uses its platform to engage audiences on social issues.
Sonya Lockett, chief impact officer at One Community, speaking about the impact work of One ... [+]
Mass media, especially social media, has the power of driving conversation and change, and shaping culture. Direct impact includes awareness, attitudes and behaviors, whereas the cumulative impact includes shared standards, process innovation and resource allocation. Examples of SIE range from the Oscar award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which assisted in shifting global opinions of climate change to the Food, Inc. documentary that explored how people could improve their diets to protect the planet. A more recent film, Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, being released on Christmas day shares the story of a man wrongly accused of murder and the inequalities of the justice system.
Sonya Lockett, chief impact officer for One Community, a film finance and social impact company, is the woman behind the creation of many of the SIE campaigns. She has spent her career as a social impact professional and creative content curator using media to drive social change and connect with diverse audiences. Currently, she and her team designed a criminal justice reform campaign that aligns with the issues brought up in Just Mercy.
“What we do with impact is since it's a co-finance company,” Lockett explains, “we are working to co-finance, co-produce films with other entities like Warner Brothers or a Paramount or a larger film company or distributor like that. Our whole thing is we don't want to invest in films unless there's an issue in the film that we can do some impact work around. In my role, I work with our content team who's always looking for what are the scripts or movies that would be interesting for us to be a part of; looking at that and seeing is there something in this that we can do a campaign around? It's not just those issue films. It can be a Marvel movie. It can be a comedy, but maybe there's something that deals with foster care or something that deals with immigration. My job is to look at those scripts, see what's in their development and what can be the campaign that we do around that? Who can be the partners that we work with to develop that campaign and help push that campaign out?”
Sonya Lockett, chief impact officer at One Community, introducing GA Gubernatorial Candidate Stacy ... [+]
Lockett’s eclectic background includes governmental public affairs, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, freelancing for Motown Records and then started consulting for organizations, brands and influencers to move the needle on issues they cared about. In addition, she worked for a period of time as vice-president of social responsibility for BET Networks and executive director of the BET Foundation. There she developed BET’s social responsibility initiatives and was responsible for creating and executing strategies that leveraged the network’s platforms to engage consumers in social change initiatives. The network campaigns under Lockett’s leadership garnered numerous awards including the TV Cares “Ribbon of Hope Award”, an NAACP Image Award and the 2007 Emmy Award for Best National Public Service Campaign.
When Lockett pivoted from working in the corporate world to starting her own company, she realized that she had to take a risk on herself. However, when the opportunity to join the One Community team presented itself, she understood she would be able to take her local impact to a global audience. “I didn't want to be 60 years old and go ‘wow! I wonder if I had ever tried that what would have happened?’ You can try something and realize maybe that's not for you. But, if you didn't try, you're going to wonder the whole time…Sometimes you have to leap and know the net will be there. And, sometimes you leap and it's not what you thought and it may be something totally different.”
Sonya Lockett, chief impact officer at One Community, speaking on using film for social good at the ... [+]
As Lockett continues to transition and expand the awareness and reach on social impact campaigns, she focuses on these essential steps:
- Understand where your passion stems from. Every day isn’t going to be perfect, but if you’re working on something you’re passionate it about it makes the tough times easier.
- Understand what you’re willing to give up to get there. Sometimes what you’re pivoting to can take you back in salary or maybe a title change. Are you going to be ok with that?
- Understand that your fear is going to challenge you not to take that risk. Take it anyway. It goes back to leap and the net will appear.
“What I love to do,” Lockett concludes, “is the idea of using content to make some change in the world. Growing up I was the kid who knew every television show. I watched everything, every movie and seeing how it kind of took me away and how much I learned from that; seeing the power of that and being able to use that to do good in the world is really exciting on a whole new level.”
