IACTL
A movement made visible
The IACTL case study connects narrative strategy, identity and audience-development pathways for a nascent civics institute. It shows how the work moves beyond a single creative deliverable.
Explore the story
One story. Every discipline.
Strategy & Communications
More channels do not necessarily mean more connection. Give your story a clear center—and your audience a meaningful next step.
The starting point
From scattered activity to a shared direction.
A website, a film, an email list and a campaign can all be active while the organization still feels fragmented. Each channel may be doing its job, yet the audience is left to assemble the larger meaning alone.
StoryForge connects mission clarity with marketing, communications and audience development. The approach is simple at its center: define what matters, communicate it with coherence, and invite people into a role they can recognize.
Integrated organizational growth is not a promise that communications can do everything. Leadership, relationships and worthwhile work make the mission real. Strategy helps those realities become visible and gives participation somewhere to go.
The connected work
Purpose shapes the scope.
A focused engagement or a wider partnership. The work follows what your organization actually needs.
A shared strategic center
Clarify mission, audience and positioning so each initiative has a reason to exist. Begin with what the organization is building and where the next meaningful movement needs to happen.
Campaigns with an invitation
Connect campaign narrative, content and execution to awareness, engagement and participation. Make the audience's role clear rather than relying on activity alone.
Coordinated communications
Align website, email, social and long-form platforms with rhythm and purpose. Let each channel contribute to the same story without treating every surface identically.
Audience pathways over time
Connect first encounter, continued relationship and meaningful participation. Build communications around the people the mission needs to reach—not just the number of messages sent.
The real obstacle
Most organizations do not suffer from a lack of passion, intelligence, or mission.
They suffer from fragmentation.
Selected work & perspectives
The story, in practice.
The Stories That Move Us · Bonus Finale
The whole story
The finale examines the integrated system behind IACTL's communications and participation. Its reported outcomes are specific to that account, and the essay explicitly credits leadership, faculty, relationships and programs—not communications alone.
Explore the storyOn working with Greg Schlueter
“Greg has a great gift for conceptualizing campaigns and communicating to specific audiences. He is also a very talented writer, and we've produced exemplary materials together for films and movements.”
Before we begin
The right questions first.
Do we need another campaign or a more coherent system?
That depends on the point of fragmentation. A focused campaign can be appropriate when mission and audience are clear. If channels, messages and next steps are disconnected, strategic alignment needs to come first.
Does StoryForge connect strategy with execution?
Yes. The existing scope includes narrative strategy, film and writing, coordinated platform deployment, campaign strategy and execution, and audience development. The engagement follows the organization's actual needs rather than a fixed bundle of channels.
Can communications guarantee organizational growth?
No. Communications do not replace sound leadership, strong relationships or a worthwhile mission. The work helps people understand and participate in what is real; individual project outcomes should not be presented as guarantees for another organization.
An integrated partner
One mission. Connected expressions.
Strategy gives the disciplines direction. Branding gives the story coherence. Film makes it human. A website and communications pathways help people recognize it, return to it and take part.
Your organization is meant to go further.
Tell us where your work feels fragmented—and what meaningful progress would look like for your organization.