The Challenge

Smart Growth America is a national nonprofit that advocates for accessible, sustainable communities. They needed a compelling way to communicate the impact of their work beyond policy briefs and technical reports. The challenge was translating complex urban planning initiatives into human-centered narratives that resonated with local communities, policymakers, and a national audience.

"Forever Ready handled all the ins and outs, the details, and delivered a final product that truly spoke to our vision. They made complex topics digestible and brought in the right voices to ensure authentic storytelling,” said Rachel Ellis, Smart Growth America.

Our Approach

As a team of former journalists and video production experts, our approach to this project with a storytelling-first mindset. We focused on:

• Deep Research & Pre-Production: Conducting extensive discovery calls with each city’s stakeholders to understand the local challenges and opportunities.

• Authentic On-the-Ground Reporting: Spending two days in each city capturing interviews and footage that showcased real-life impact.

• Human-Centered Narratives: Prioritizing community voices—residents, local leaders, and advocates—to illustrate the necessity and success of Complete Streets.

• Adaptive Storytelling: Adjusting to the unique cultural and geographic contexts of each location while maintaining a cohesive message.

The Impact

The five videos were widely distributed through:

• Smart Growth America’s YouTube channel, reaching their engaged audience.

• A biweekly newsletter sent to over 40,000 subscribers.

• Social media campaigns featuring video snippets to drive further engagement.

• City Health & Partner Organizations, expanding the reach to networks advocating for safe streets nationwide.

• Presentations at national conferences and coalitions, further solidifying the importance of this initiative

Results & Reception

The response to the video series was overwhelmingly positive. AARP and Smart Growth America saw:

• Increased awareness and discussions around Complete Streets initiatives.

• Expanded interest from additional cities wanting to implement similar projects.

• Enthusiastic feedback from AARP state teams, who saw these videos as powerful tools to drive local advocacy.

"It was really great. Forever Ready ensured clear communication, secured strong representation in the videos, and took the time to truly understand each community’s unique needs. That level of care is invaluable,” said Rachel Ellis.

Why It Worked

1. Journalistic Approach: Our deep dive into each community ensured the stories were authentic and emotionally compelling.

2. Strategic Distribution: The videos weren’t just created—they were launched with an intentional communication plan to maximize reach.

3. Scalability & Sustainability: These stories became an ongoing resource for advocacy, education, and policymaking.

Looking Ahead

The success of this series has sparked discussions about expanding the project to additional cities in the coming year. Smart Growth America and AARP see video storytelling as an essential tool in their mission to make communities safer and more accessible.

At Forever Ready Productions, we believe that storytelling has the power to inspire action, shift perspectives, and drive real change. This project exemplifies how high-quality, journalistic video production can move beyond awareness and into action—one community at a time.

Want to tell a powerful story that sparks impact? Let’s talk.