by John Trybus, Managing Director
You may have heard of the Enough Project because of its affiliation with a number of well-known celebrities. Big names such as George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling and other red carpet favorites have helped to put this organization, which aims to end genocide and crimes against humanity in Africa, on the map.
While celebrity involvement in causes is certainly not a new strategy and the results of such engagements are not always clear, the Enough Project and Jonathan Hutson, the organization’s director of communications, are doing a particularly good job of combining substance with star power.
“It’s really about forming one-on-one relationships with celebrities and getting them deeply engaged in a meaningful and sustained way in a cause,” explains Jonathan.
In our interview Jonathan shares behind-the-scenes stories and sheds light into some key topics related to celebrity engagement, including:
- What makes an authentic celebrity partner and how do you communicate that authenticity?
- How do you ensure a cause is not overshadowed by a celebrity when the media spotlight comes shining?
- In what ways can you turn awareness created by celebrities into action by key audiences?
Jonathan also answers the question I’m sure you most want to know: what is George Clooney really like? “He has the Darfur rebel leaders on speed dial on his cell phone,” Jonathan jokes with all sincerity.
Kidding aside, the serious human rights issues the Enough Project is working to solve is no small job. “It can be hard to see immediate results as far as ending genocide and crimes against humanity, and yet we are able to see measureable progress month-by-month and year-by-year,” says Jonathan.
I highly recommend taking a look at the Enough Project’s communications annual report to get a better sense of how this amazing organization uses communication to fulfill its mission.
Take a listen to my interview with social strategist Jonathan Hutson to learn more about celebrity engagement and the other ways in which the Enough Project is utilizing the power of communication to bring an end to genocide in Darfur.