The document outlines the goals and methodology of the CGML & Beyond Borders Digital Media Academy. It aims to: 1) Hold convenings and gatherings with diverse Muslim communities and sectors to research key issues. 2) Produce media and reports to disseminate the findings and create narrative change. 3) The academy will offer courses in storytelling, content creation, publishing strategies, and business/fundraising to train people in cultural production and shifting narratives.

1. CGML & Beyond Borders Studios Digital Media Academy
TELLINGBEAUTIFULSTORIESTO
CREATENARRATIVECHANGE
BEYOND BORDERS DIGITAL MEDIA ACADEMY - COURSE 1

3. C O N N E C T I N G T H E D I A S P O R A O F H E A RT S T H R O U G H M E D I A
P R O D U C T I O N , R E S E A R C H , A N D C U LT U R A L I N C U B AT I O N

4. - As the world has moved online in 2020 we have taken the opportunity with our vast US, and
International networks to create convening’s and conversations in diverse sectors ranging from
fi
lm, the
arts, and the Hajj industry.
- In working with diverse sector actors it is our hope to cultivate a cultural / academic model in creating
these convening’s to gather information on key sectors Muslims are working in ranging from cultural to
grassroots community organizing sectors, to spiritual wellness.
- From these convening’s we are then gathering the research from these gatherings to create key
learnings from the
fi
eld.
- From there our goal is to create media productions and reports to convey the
fi
ndings to produce
culture change
- CGML Model - Diaspora networked convening’s in diverse sectors - produce research based on
fi
ndings from convening - create high quality media to reach wider audiences with our
fi
ndings from
these convening’s
- Examples we have produced to date - The Global Muslim Film Festival, Ramadan Digital Media Awards,
Raise Karma (as a distribution partner), The Hajj of our Hearts with LaunchGood, Building an American
Muslim Agenda for 2021 (November),
- Upcoming convening’s - Global Muslim Startups Conference - December, 2020, Muslim Power Building
Conference - Feb, 2021, Global Muslim Wellness Conference - March, 2021, Muslim Narratives
Conference - July, 2021
-
THEMETHOD-GLOBALCONVENING’SFORCULTURECHANGE

5. - Course 1 - Telling Beautiful Stories to Create Narrative Change
- Foundations - Learning how to tell stories that shift narratives
- Building Narrative Infrastructure within our Institutions & Movements
- Understanding our diverse identities and communities for audience development strategies
- Storytelling as diasporic practice
- Course 2 - Branding, Content Development, and Digital Production in 2020
- Brand Audit, Audience, and Brand Development
- Content Production - Copy, Design, Video, and Social Media
- Developing Content Buckets for Digital Media Strategy
- Course 3 - Publishing Strategies for 2020 from Live Streaming to Podcasting
- Solving your Content Puzzle at your Organization
- Live Streaming Platforms for 2020
- Social Media Platforms in 2020
- Publishing for your Website and across platforms
- Building your in house production studio
- Course 4 - PR, Marketing, and Understanding Your Data
- Solving the puzzle of your organizational data
- Marketing channels and digital advertising
- Email marketing platforms for 2020
- Course 5 - Business Development, Digital Fundraising, & Digital Advertising Strategies
- Public Relation Strategies for your Institutions
- Digital Fundraising Strategies
- Cultural Organizing
- Final Projects pitch preparation
- Demo Day - Ramadan / End of Year / Holiday Pitch Sessions

6. LEAN STARTUP MODEL FOR MEDIA PRODUCTION
IDEAS
PUBLISH
DATA
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
-Live show
-New website
-Video Series
-Newsletter
-YouTube Channel
-Instagram Live
-Research & Series of articles
-SEO Rankings vs.
Competitors
-Social Media Campaign
-Crowdfunding Campaign
-Audience Development
based on organizational data
-Focus Audience
Development based on user
feedback
-Customer Interviews
-Iterate product based on
data feedback
-Customer development
-User Demographics on
Social
-SEO Marketing
-In
fl
uencer Marketing
Feedback
-Split Tests
-Live vs. Recorded Shows
data feedback

7. 7KEYBASELINES

8. 1-CULTURE
IS EVERYTHING

9. - Culture is a set of
living relationships
working toward a
shared goal
- 1 - Build Safely
- 2 - Share Vulnerability
- 3 - Establish Purpose
KINDERGARTNERSVSMBA’S

10. 1. Be Inclusive
2. Play a non-zero sum game -
“Love for your sister what you
love for yourself.”
3. Be Mentorship Driven
4. Have Porus Boundaries
5. Give People Assignments
6. Experiment & Fail Fast
2-BUILDANECOSYSTEM
THATWILLATTRACTTALENT
ECOSYSTEMS & MOVEMENTS VS.
THE NON-PROFIT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
From, Startup Communities:
Building an Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem in Your City
by Brad Feld

11. ISNOWADIGITALORGANIZATION
3-EVERY ORGANIZATION
THESOONERYOUACCEPTTHISTHEMORELIKELYITIS
THATYOURORGANIZATIONWILLSURVIVE.

12. YOUHAVETOBUILDORGANIZATIONS
4-TODOTHISWELL
ANDPRODUCTIONSTUDIOS
THATEMPOWERCREATIVESTOLEAD

13. - Made up of a group of
colleagues who have
expertise and empathy
- In the case of Pixar the
central expertise is
storytelling
- The braintrust has no
real authority, they are
like a peer review
committee. They can give
you recommendations but
it’s for the director to
make the final decision
5-BUILDYOU’RECREATIVEBRAINTRUST

14. 6-STORIESAREATTHECENTER
OFEVERYPARTOFOURLIVES

15. 7-TELLTHEBEAUTIFUL,COMPLEX,
DIVERSE,UNTOLD,GLOBALSTORIES

16. STORYTELLING&
NARRATIVESTRATEGY101

17. “EXISTENCEISMEANINGHIDDENINFORM”
- The Diwan of Shaykh Ibn Al Habib

19. What are the stories
we are told?
How do we reframe
them?
FRAMING

29. REPRESENTATIONMATTERS

31. THE
HERO’S
JOURNEY

33. PIXAR’S22RULESOFSTORYTELLING

35. “We tell you the best of stories in revealing this Quran to you.”
- The Qur’an - Surah Yusuf 12:3
STORYTELLINGFROMTHE
WORLDVIEWOFISLAM

36. -Storytelling and Virtue Ethics
-Allegorical Tales
-Yunus Emre as the best recent example I’ve seen
-“Muslim ethicists, used storytelling of many varieties to convey
normative standards of virtue. In fact, the concept of “literature” itself
surfaced in an ethical context for Arabic (and Persian, Turkish,
Nusantara, etc.) readers. This can be seen in the Arabic word adab,
which our authors would have known to mean both a category of
“wisdom literature” and “proper conduct” - The Polished Mirror:
Storytelling and the Pursuit of Virtue in Islamic Philosophy and Su
fi
sm
-Adab as a civilizational reality / The order of things - Syed Naqib al
Attas
ISLAMICSTORYTELLING

37. -Malcolm as a
storyteller
-Malcolm seeing the
world with his own
eyes and allowing it
to change him
-Malcolm as a PR
genius
-Malcolm as an
institution builder
MALCOLMXAS
MEDIATHEORIST

38. THEPOWEROFSTORYTELLING&TURNINGONYOUR
ORGANIZATIONALSWITCHASACREATIVEINSTITUTION

39. HOWDOYOUDOTHISFORYOURORGANIZATIONOR
FORYOURSELFASANARTIST?

40. Marshal Ganz & the
Harvard Kennedy School
Used in Community
Organizing to
Presidential Elections
PUBLICNARRATIVE

44. EMPOWERMENTVS.ASSIMILATIONISTNARRATIVES

45. 1. We need the ability to follow-through on narrative and cultural dispersion and
immersion—over time, across segments and at scale
2. We need actual human beings serving as our main vehicle for achieving
narrative change—people equipped, talented, motivated and networked to
e
ff
ectively spread new and compelling stories throughout their networks and
sub-cultures, as well as spreading the values and thought models they contain,
in order to move those ideas into a “normative” position in society.
3. We cannot forsake the power of brands—the relationships responsible for the
way that most people come to change their thinking, reshape their feeling and
redirect their behaviors.
NARRATIVEINFRASTRUCTURE&STRATEGICNARRATIVE

46. FAITHROOTEDSTORYTELLING
THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING MORE…

47. - Story of transformation
- Story of impact
- Visuals are key, cinematography is a central element in conveying spiritual in
fi
lm
making
- Music is a central component
- Characters / Actors
- Creativity - Should not just expect you can give a power point like some corporate
pitch session and you will raise money from the community
- This is especially true of young people who are so brand conscious today
- See our session on - “Spirituality in Film” from the Global Muslim Film Festival for
more in depth look at this
STORYTELLINGELEMENTSFORSPIRITUALIMPACT

48. BEAUTY+FAITH+ACTION+MEANING=
TRANSFORMATION&SPIRITUALIMPACT

49. - Mapping Culture of your audience to understand your audience?
- How are you related to this culture for you to truly understand it?
- Muslims as a great example, with even people in the Muslim community treating us as one
group, with one identity.
- Muslims from where?
- Race?
- Class?
- Age?
- Gender?
- Ideology?
- Country?
- Di
ff
erent types of Islam by region?
- Spirituality?
UNDERSTANDINGCULTURE&IDENTITYBEFOREAUDIENCEDEVELOPMENT

50. From Halal Branding by Dr. Jonathon Wilson

51. LEAN STARTUP MODEL FOR MEDIA PRODUCTION
IDEAS
PUBLISH
DATA
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
-Live show
-New website
-Video Series
-Newsletter
-YouTube Channel
-Instagram Live
-Research & Series of articles
-SEO Rankings vs.
Competitors
-Social Media Campaign
-Crowdfunding Campaign
-Audience Development
based on organizational data
-Focus Audience
Development based on user
feedback
-Customer Interviews
-Iterate product based on
data feedback
-Customer development
-User Demographics on
Social
-SEO Marketing
-In
fl
uencer Marketing
Feedback
-Split Tests
-Live vs. Recorded Shows
data feedback

52. DIGITALMEDIACOMPANIESIN2020