IDEAS

Goals and Strategies

Israelis Are Like You And Me

IDEAS’ mission is to educate the public about the State of Israel, by creating documentaries and related informational material about Israel, for dissemination throughout the world.  Our goal is to reach the general public who knows little about Israel beyond conflict and religious extremism in order to show how similar Israelis are to ‘regular’ people around the world.  By creating eye-catching video clips on Israel's vibrancy, modernity, freedoms, and contributions to the world (see Future Topics), our aim is to educate people so that they are more knowledgeable and concerned about Israel and the lives of Israelis.

Tapping Into People’s Passions

Our strategy is to touch people’s hearts where their passions already lie – attracting them to watch films that extend their knowledge on topics they care so much about (see Future Topics).  As they learn more about the subject matter, they will also learn about Israel, thereby creating a positive correlation between their passions and the roles that Israelis play.  For example, a film on Israel’s contributions and advancements in environmental issues will appeal to environmental enthusiasts the world over, who will, thereby, learn about Israel while they learn more about the environment.

Expanding Viewers’ Awareness

While each film will be of particular interest to those who are passionate about that subject matter, the goal is for the films to be of general interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the topic, more about Israel, or more about the world in which we live (see Future Topics).  In this way, after viewers have watched one of our films, we will offer them the opportunity to watch other films that we (or others) have created, thereby reinforcing their positive feelings about Israel.  For example, after watching the film on the environment, we would let viewers know that they can watch a film on Israeli advances in agriculture, and then one on humanitarian efforts by Israelis to help feed the poor around the world, and then one on Israeli assistance after natural disasters, and so on.

Mini Clips & Extended Presentations

Different viewers will have different levels of interest in and available time to explore a topic.  We will, therefore, build our films in a modular fashion, with very short clips (i.e., 3-5 minutes) that focus on one aspect of a topic, bundled into 15-minute films that treat the topic more comprehensively, and packaged with related topics into one-hour documentaries that cover a broad field.  The films will be available for free viewing on the Internet – through our own Website as well as services such as YouTube™ – with the full-length documentaries also marketed to television broadcasters and produced as DVDs.  To have global impact, films will be subtitled into a variety of languages.

Worldwide Distribution

IDEAS will market the topical films to traditional associations, trade magazines and Internet-based organizations whose members are interested in each topic, and disseminate materials to educational institutions, such as high schools, colleges, and libraries around the world.  We will also form relationships with organizations that are interested in educating about Israel, so that they might partner with us to create the films and forward information about the films to their members.  When a viewer visits our website to watch a film, they will be informed of additional supporting materials accessible online and be able to register to receive notification of additional films and related materials as they become available.

Collaborative Topic Selection

IDEAS’ documentaries will cover a wide range of topics, including culture, technology, and humanitarian themes, thereby showing the panorama of life and values in Israel.  To determine which topics should be developed and in what order, we will tap the collective insight of an advisory board of filmmakers who care passionately about Israel.  To be aware of the hot topics about Israel in different parts of the world, we will form student advisory boards on campuses in a variety of countries, where advocates for Israel will use their local perspectives to review the scripts we prepare, contribute supplemental materials, and recommend topics that need to be addressed.