The Hormel Film Festival

Inspiring Stories through Trying Times

When shelter-in-place orders and social distancing became the norm throughout the country, we knew that it was a good time for Hormel Foods to spread positivity and inspiration to their team, customers, consumers and fans. Over the last several years, our team had traveled across the nation to help tell the stories of incredible people with unique connections to this iconic company and its brands. We threw out the release plan for 5 hope-filled short films and quickly organized the first-ever Hormel Film Festival, and we did it in the middle of a pandemic. In addition to the short film premiers, we had dynamic discussions between the filmmakers, film subjects and company executives. We also announced surprise donations to a related nonprofit during each segment, like Autism Speaks and No Kid Hungry. We knew there was no better time than now to premiere these stories, and by doing so online as a unique event, we were able to bring these stories to as many people as possible.

Production

Starting on May 11, five short films debuted in an online film festival. The festival streamed live on YouTube, followed by a live discussion between the filmmakers and some of the films’ subjects. Our team helped Hormel Foods coordinate speakers, planned the discussions and moderated each of the panel discussions.

The most notable case of skilled technical production planning was the panel for the film Cooperation Beyond Words. Two of the speakers on the live Q&A are deaf, calling in from work while social distancing. Another panelist was an ASL interpreter who deftly translated for all. In successfully navigating this unique panel, we helped generate a particularly dynamic discussion that, like each Q&A, deserves a watch.