Go Green is a digital makeover show with an element of wish granting, a dose of environmental learning, and assists from Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle. Lucia Entertainment co-founder and CEO Nicole Winters talks about the project with Cynopsis. How is Go Green different than other home makeover shows?
Our focus is on clean energy solutions that improve the health of the home and the people who live in it rather than just the design elements of your traditional home makeover shows. Especially with the sudden change in our lifestyles due to COVID, we want our audience to learn how to harness the power of nature, save money, and live a healthier life in their own homes.
The goal is to help viewers of all socio-economic levels discover affordable and accessible ways to go green at home, from LED lighting and smart switches to electric cooktops and HVAC systems that decrease the burning of fossil fuels. We want to inspire others to positively impact our environment without having to alter their lifestyles.
Your content is short-form and snackable. With Quibi having proven to be unsuccessful, is that a concern? Lessons to be learned?
In my opinion, Quibi made the mistake of relying too heavily on celebrity influence and the price tag that comes with it. They had a deep reserve of amazing talent, but you still have to cater to the marketplace and, #1, connect with your audience.
We chose short-format (1) to work responsibly within our budget, and (2) to explore and engage our potential audience as a proof of concept. We knew if we could connect with an audience on social platforms, we could expand the show to its 1-hour format for network where there’s a proven appetite. We also believed that our focal point could not be celebrity-driven. Any support we garnered would have to be earned by the merit of the project, solid storytelling, and a genuine purpose.
How are you building an audience for GO GREEN?
We launched on social platforms to test various audience segments and to ensure we could expand beyond niche verticals related to the show. This show is for everyone, young, old, eco-conscious and otherwise. It is abundantly clear as a global community that we have to make changes related to the climate crisis, and we have to be inclusive in how we address the issues.
We have a universal message: clean energy solutions are and should be accessible and affordable for everyone. So, our distribution approach is to make the pilot episodes free and accessible to everyone on multiple platforms so viewers can watch however they want.
How did you create and build this project? How did you get Mark (Ruffalo) and Don (Cheadle) get involved?
Coming from entertainment media, I knew brands were looking for alternative advertising opportunities, or unique marketing initiatives. Our goal at Lucia (Entertainment) has always been to invite brands into the creative process, essentially collaborating with them as co-producers while maintaining the integrity of the project as a storytelling vehicle.We knew we needed credibility in the clean energy industry which led us to a partnership with The Solutions Project (Ruffalo not-for-profit). We also knew the show aligned with certain brand initiatives which enabled us to bring our brand partners in as underwriters. We have amazing partners all of whom understood our intent was to make a show, not a commercial or some form of branded entertainment. That buy-in gave us the latitude to tell real stories about real people.
Finally, with Mark and Don, we focused first and foremost on our partnership with The Solutions Project and building a show that made sense for both of us. Mark and Don’s participation was voluntary and a huge bonus for the project.
