The coldest night of the year

Creating engaging content to highlight corporate sponsors and community impact

Red Door Family Shelter, a beacon of hope for families in crisis, needed support in producing content for their Coldest Night of the Year event. The shelter's team had intended to work with another video production team, but when that support fell through at the last minute, Insurgency stepped in to help. We were tasked with producing dynamic video content featuring interviews with corporate sponsors to highlight their involvement and showcase the success of the event.

The "Who"

Red Door Family Shelter, based in Toronto, has been supporting women, children, and families facing homelessness and gender-based violence since 1982. They provide safe shelter, counseling, and long-term support to help families rebuild their lives. As part of their ongoing efforts, Red Door runs various community-driven programs, including the Coldest Night of the Year event, which brings people together to raise awareness and funds for the shelter’s mission.

The "Why"

Red Door reached out to us for video production support for their Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) program. The project was twofold. First, to create engaging video content featuring interviews with corporate sponsors such as ADP, Home Depot, Royal Lepage, and Tricon. These videos were to be used across social media platforms to promote the event and highlight the sponsors’ involvement. Second, to be on site the day of the event to capture both video and photography content, and then to complete the edited version of the event for digital sharing purposes. Insurgency provided high-quality video & photographic content on a tight timeline.

The "What"

The project came with several challenges:

Creating a front and end cap for each video.
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Filming and editing sponsor interviews into cohesive, engaging videos.
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Managing the creative direction, which initially didn’t align with the client’s evolving vision, requiring a shift in approach.
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Filming during the event itself to capture all of the experiences and excitement.

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Additional challenges included coordinating tight schedules for video shoots at various sponsor offices, managing feedback loops between Insurgency, Red Door, and the sponsors, and dealing with some sponsors' discomfort in front of the camera.

The "How"

Initially, the client requested a walk-up theme for introducing each sponsor, but after the first shoot and upon review of the content, they sought a more conversational approach. We pivoted the creative strategy by asking more personalized, open-ended questions to help sponsors feel more comfortable and engaged on camera. The goal was to create a stronger connection with the community, allowing the sponsors to share their genuine support for Red Door and the event in a more relatable way.

This shift in direction helped enhance the authenticity and impact of the videos, aligning them better with the brand’s message of compassion and collaboration.

The "It"

We delivered all the edited videos to Red Door within three days of the shoots, with quick turnaround times for any feedback provided. The videos were then shared with the client and the sponsors, allowing them to post and amplify the content on their respective social media channels. This approach ensured the timely promotion of the event and gave the sponsors ownership of the content they had contributed to. The videos were designed to be easily shareable and optimized for social media, driving engagement and raising awareness. Insurgency also provided the raw content to the client so additional uses of the content could be leveraged.

The "Results"

All videos were delivered on time and in market before the event date, as promised.
The final videos were shared with both Red Door and the sponsors, with full access to both edited and unedited clips, ensuring ownership and transparency.
Positive feedback was received from Red Door and sponsors, with praise for the creative direction and the final product.
The final event video received significant engagement, with community members sharing positive feedback about the promotion and event itself.

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This successful collaboration not only supported the event but also strengthened Red Door’s partnership with its sponsors, allowing both to increase their visibility and engage with the local community.

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