Strategic Communications for Good.

Case Studies

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MARKETING CAMPAIGN

CA College Student Emergency Support Fund

A statewide campaign to get resources to California’s most vulnerable students during the pandemic.

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RESEARCH TO ACTION

Towards Best Practices in Documentary Filmmaking

Translating groundbreaking research into action to ensure that the growing documentary field adopts high-quality practices around ethics, transparency, and care for subjects.

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NEWS MEDIA

Journalism Funding Initiative and Fellowships

Increasing news coverage of important issues and building a diverse talent pipeline of future journalists.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

CA College Student Emergency Support Fund

A statewide campaign to get resources to California’s most vulnerable students during the pandemic.

RESEARCH TO ACTION

Towards Best Practices in Documentary Filmmaking

Translating groundbreaking research into action to ensure that the growing documentary field adopts high-quality practices around ethics, transparency, and care for subjects.

NEWS MEDIA

Journalism Funding Initiative and Fellowships

Increasing news coverage of important issues and building a diverse talent pipeline of future journalists.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

CA College Student Emergency Support Fund

A statewide campaign to get resources to California’s most vulnerable students during the pandemic.

Challenge: The pandemic overwhelmed the state’s most vulnerable college students—especially low-income students of color supporting family members—in the form of vanishing jobs, medical bills, and the need to attend class remotely without the tech to do so. Government and colleges could not move fast enough to get students what they needed.

Solution: Working with the governor’s office, hundreds of public educational institutions, non-profit partners, and a group of funders, I developed and executed a communications campaign to call attention to the issue and get dollars to  students in need as quickly as possible. The CA College Student Emergency Support Fund distributed well over $2 million at launch and sparked a statewide conversation about student financial need and mental health.

RESEARCH TO ACTION

Towards Best Practices in Documentary Filmmaking

Translating groundbreaking research into action to ensure that the growing documentary field adopts high-quality practices around ethics, transparency, and care for subjects.
Challenge: Many have experienced the power and value of documentaries. The advent of true crime’s widespread popularity, specifically, has put a spotlight on ethics in filmmaking practice and production. How can this growing field ensure that filmmakers are aware of the highest quality standards around ethics, transparency, and care when working with film participants?

Solution: I worked with ITVS to assess a first-of-its-kind, largest-ever survey of documentary filmmakers and film participants to improve understanding around experiences and inform best practices. I analyzed and created insights from the survey data, developing a communications strategy and recommendations for action for ITVS to use in its campaign to engage filmmakers in discussion and support them to be successful in working with their subjects.

NEWS MEDIA

Journalism Funding Initiative and Fellowships

Increasing news coverage of important issues and building a diverse talent pipeline of future journalists.

Challenge: A few years ago, California news outlets offered very little coverage of postsecondary topics—the economic return on investment of a degree, student struggles with mental health and high cost of living, institutional performance, and policies that impacted aspiring graduates and their families. What little appeared was often reductive, with huge gaps in coverage of the colleges serving the lowest-income students.

Solution: I developed a multi-stage, multi-year funding strategy, quickly resulting in a 500% increase in higher education reporting in the state. Within a few years, coverage of California institutions serving low-income and first-generation students grew by 1,000%. In stage two, I helped launch and grow multiple fellowship programs to provide training, professional opportunities, and support to cohorts of diverse journalism students from across the state. Fully 85% of these fellows went on to be hired by news outlets such as the Washington Post, LA Times, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal after completion of the fellowship program.

Testimonials

I have met many communications professionals, but Regan has been the most supportive and creative. She understands racial equity work deeply and knows how to communicate in engaging and resonant ways with education leaders, policymakers, and public media. My only regret is that I did not meet her much earlier.

Estela Bensimon

Founder, Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California

Regan is the partner every team needs when you want to +1 your strategy and leadership. I had the pleasure of collaborating with Regan on a communications strategy for our largest research release, and was consistently impressed by her ability to extract valuable insights from questions, challenge assumptions, and provide thoughtful feedback. Most importantly, Regan’s extensive experience in philanthropy, social impact, and media brings a well-rounded perspective to driving systemic change.

Lisa Tawil

VP of Marketing & Communications, ITVS

Sparkwise has been a game-changer for our organization. Their exceptional support elevated our messaging and digital presence to new heights. Regan's ability to turn complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives is unmatched. For taking your communications to the next level, Sparkwise is the partner to trust.

Arnold Chandler

President, Forward Change

Regan is a person whose name you’re happy to see on your calendar for the day, because you know the meeting or call will be full of insights and fun. She dives into big-picture challenges, identifies a clear path through them, and thoughtfully notes what we can learn along the way. Her strategic acumen, sincere curiosity, and sense of fun make her work both effective and joyful—and make me grateful for opportunities to collaborate with her.

Erin Birx Hart

Founder of Hart Strategies and former Principal of Spitfire Strategies

Regan is an incredibly talented communications leader with an exceptional ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with policymakers and other audiences. She is adept at developing messaging campaigns that bring organizational strategies to the next level, all with her signature wit and collaborative spirit. Regan stands out not only for her expertise, but also her values: an unwavering commitment to racial equity, thoughtful mentorship of others, and an authentic focus on excellence. I can’t wait to work with her again!

Ria Bhatt

Principal at Mandala Consulting and former Public Policy Director at College Futures Foundation

Clients

Sparkwise Communications

The right story told well can change the world for good

This calls for a new script. Let’s write one—together.