76 Words is one of America’s most diverse political communications firms. Every year, they help to elect and empower the new American majority by connecting voters with political candidates who have their, and the entire United States’, best interests at heart. Their loyalty lies with candidates who harbor progressive visions for the future. Because of this, they are quite selective regarding the candidates they choose to support. There is a specific criteria that 76 Words’ candidates must adhere to. Above all else, they must think selflessly and act with the sole intention of ushering in a new era in American society — one designed for the people and derived from equality.
In the case of Initiative 940 in Washington State, 76 Words commissioned us to film a video showing the need to pass this important piece of legislation. Initiative 940 was designed to teach police officers de-escalation tactics in order to avoid unnecessary violence. The subject of this video is the sister of Charleena Lyles, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Washington State. She suffered from mental illness and lost her life due to an officer’s inability to properly address the conflict. Initiative 940 would provide the funding for police officers to learn nonviolent tactics for use in situations just like Charleena’s.
To produce this video, our team traveled to Washington State and spent time with Charleena Lyles’ family to understand the full scope of the story. C&I Studios approached the project with sensitivity, allowing the subject’s sister to share her experience in her own words while our crew captured footage that reflected the weight of the narrative. The production combined sit-down interviews with atmospheric b-roll from the community, creating a piece that was both emotionally grounded and informative. We believe that the most effective advocacy content gives a platform to real voices rather than relying on narration alone. This philosophy drives our work across political and social impact projects. To see how we bring this same care to every production, explore our portfolio or learn more about our video production capabilities.

