Empact: on turning empathy into action

PART ONE: the set up

📺 the streaming experience

Em sunk into the couch, eyes locked on the screen as the documentary's final moments landed like a gut punch. Innocent lives lost to gun violence. The footage was raw, devastating—and it lit something up inside them.

They opened their laptop, ready to act.

But Google didn’t make it easy. The first few results were promising—until they weren’t. Confusing regulations. Conflicting facts. Sketchy nonprofits. It was a maze, and Em was already losing steam. The energy that had surged during the film slowly fizzled into confusion, then fatigue.

A week later, nothing had changed. Except that the outrage had turned into silence.

🎬 the theater experience

The popcorn was perfect. The film was unforgettable. A tense, emotional ride through the story of resistance fighters hijacking a state TV station.

As the credits rolled, the room sat in stunned silence. People were moved—maybe even changed—but no one knew what to do next.

“How are those activists now?”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“Where do I even start?”

And just like that—lights on, phones out, notifications rolling in. The moment passed.

No one knew where to go from here.

PART TWO: the state of impact entertainment

https://thestateofsie.com/the-state-of-social-impact-entertainment-sie-report-introduction-peter-bisanz/

Films and shows move us. They inform, enrage, inspire. But too often, audiences leave transformed in spirit… and utterly unsupported in action.

Even well-funded projects struggle to offer next steps. At best, there’s a website link or a phone number to a help hotline. But for most viewers, the emotional weight fades into distraction before they’ve done anything with it.

Meanwhile, nonprofits face their own challenges—burned out trying to engage communities, often without the storytelling tools filmmakers have.

PART THREE: meet the impact producer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_impact_entertainment

Impact producers are the unsung heroes who bridge this gap. They build campaigns that turn stories into movements—designing screenings, partnerships, and calls-to-action to make sure films don’t just end, they ripple.

Impact campaigns can take many forms:

Social media activations to drive awareness

Community events and watch parties to spark real dialogue

Policy & advocacy efforts aligned with on-screen issues

Fundraising efforts that support nonprofits or the film's impact work

But here’s the reality: most indie films don’t have the budget to hire a full-time impact producer. And even in Hollywood, many campaigns die off after the PR cycle ends.

The result? A lot of good intentions—and a lot of missed opportunities.

PART FOUR: what if impact campaigns were as accessible as streaming?

That’s where Empact comes in.

Empact is the all-in-one platform that helps filmmakers, producers, and partners turn audience energy into measurable action—without needing a huge team or a complicated tech stack.

Here’s what Empact makes possible:

✅ Build momentum before the release

By partnering with local orgs and community leaders, filmmakers can activate supporters ahead of time—so the moment your film is ready, your partners are too, ready to host screenings and engage their networks.

✅ Launch powerful, custom calls-to-action

Forget juggling Google Forms, GoFundMe, and static nonprofit links. Empact lets you:

Add custom, trackable CTAs to every screening

Help viewers take action: learn more, access community resources, or host their own event

Create fundraising pages that support your film's impact campaign or send funds directly to trusted nonprofits

Enable tax-deductible donations via our partnership with E2AC (just a 3% fiscal sponsorship fee)

And you can set it all up in under 5 minutes. Seriously.

✅ Track every outcome

Empact’s real-time dashboards show you who took action, how much was raised, and what’s working. Perfect for sharing with funders, writing grants, or scaling future campaigns.

FINALE: from passive viewing to active participation

Want to include a QR code at the end of your film? Done.

Want to empower your audience to host grassroots screenings with built-in tools and a campaign playbook? Empact does that too.

We make it simple to go from one-time emotional impact to long-term community engagement.

Because the story doesn’t end when the credits roll. That’s when it really begins.

🎬 Ready to turn your film into a movement?

Set up your impact campaign on Empact—for free—and start building the momentum your story deserves.