On 31 October 2017 Beautiful News will have achieved its altruistic target of sharing 365 uplifting short films in one year about the positive South African experience. The project reached over 500 million across all platforms over the first nine months alone.
Beautiful News South Africa is a positive news platform created by Ginkgo Agency that releases one short film every day. These can be found on the Beautiful News website, but are also shared across a range of platforms including outdoor media, news websites and blogs. Thanks to the support of its audience, subjects and community, at the end of October it will have delivered on its promise of releasing 365 short films in 12 months. The project has proven the appetite for positive news in this country through positive influence and impact at scale, touching the lives of people across South Africa.
As Beautiful News approaches one year since launch, it has changed lives. It has released diverse stories from every province touching on all facets of the human experience – with content pillars including sports, arts and culture, education, community upliftment, conservation and women of excellence – on an unprecedented scale. Statistics supplied by BMI indicate that Beautiful News achieved total international reach – defined as the total number of opportunities created to engage with the project – of over 500 million across all platforms through the first three quarters alone.
Positive impact
The stories it has told have had a tangible, positive impact on the lives of its subjects, as the nation celebrated its spirit of upliftment and togetherness. An engaged audience has responded with offers of funding, assistance, opportunity and goodwill to the individuals Beautiful News has profiled. From the barefoot runner who was approached by the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, to the self-published author who was invited to speak in front of parliament, and the humble group of conservationists dedicated to protecting pangolins – whose story made the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) take notice – Beautiful News subjects across the country have benefited from the exposure and reach generated by the platform.
Anthony Hinrichsen, Commissioning Editor of Beautiful News, explains, “Beautiful News is an independent editorial platform that aims to show a positive reflection of who we are as a people. Our films are crafted to uphold the integrity of our subjects. We seek to inspire South Africans by showcasing the extraordinary in the everyday. Beautiful News shows us that you don’t have to be a superhero to change lives.”
Beautiful News is made possible by Mercedes-Benz South Africa. It is an extension of the 21 Icons Project, a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz South Africa and Ginkgo Agency that celebrated South Africa’s most inspirational men and women through photography and short films.
Since its launch on 1 November 2016, every day at 4:14pm Beautiful News has celebrated the extraordinary fabric of human nature that binds our nation. Goig forward, Beautiful News will continue to deliver on its promise of releasing one short film at 4.14pm every day.
Visit: www.beautifulnews.co.za and connect on Facebook and Instagram.
WS
