The Hero In Us (2024) - The Friends of Jack Foundation

Problem

The Friends of Jack Foundation needed a new way to:

• Introduce their story to prospective donors in a meaningful and memorable way

• Break through the noise of nonprofit fundraising campaigns

• Inspire emotional connection while highlighting the hope and strength behind their mission

• Maintain positivity 

• Expand their reach beyond their immediate community

  
  

Solution

We developed a bold, original concept: The Hero In Us (2024), a live-action/animated superhero short film that reimagines the founding story of the organization as a superhero epic. Our approach combined:

• Narrative Film Production: An adventurous live-action/animated superhero short that reimagines the real-life medical journey of Jack and his mother Jill, following them as they each discover their inner strength.

• Marketing Strategy: Built a multi-stage campaign that included press outreach, festival submissions, speaking engagements, and sponsored-screenings.

• Event Integration: Positioned the film as both a story and a platform, resulting in an hour-long featured panel at Comic-Con International 2025, uniting filmmakers and nonprofits, encouraging them to collaborate on future narrative film projects.

  
  

Outcome

The impact exceeded expectations:

• 2.3M+ Net Reach across platforms (and counting)

• Selected to screen at Comic-Con International 2025 — a global stage for superhero stories that move culture

• Featured panel at Comic-Con International 2025 with Stulac Marketing, Friends of Jack, and the production team

• 6 press features including interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage

• Second highest-performing instagram post in Friends of Jack’s history (at the time of posting)

• All below the line costs of the film were covered by donors

• Increased demand for school speaking engagements across the South Coast region.

"I think it's extremely important that kids have an opportunity to start volunteering at a young age and being part of something. So, taking kids in as volunteers, for [The Friends of Jack Foundation] is really important. Well, I am speaking at a lot of different schools in the fall because [The Hero In Us] made it to Comic-Con and everyone just thinks that's super cool. ...We are able to take this opportunity, get some new donors and introduce kids on how to give back in the community."

Jill Fearons, Founder, The Friends of Jack Foundation

Filmmakers and Nonprofits: A Powerful Partnership, Comic-Con International 2025