Introducing the #ReelKind initiative
Our pledge to people & planet
We’ve all got a limited amount of time on the planet. No one wants to look back at their life and think: “Ah, crumbs. I wish I could’ve been part of something bigger than myself and created positive change in the world!”
This got us thinking … how could we, as a growing creative studio full of passionate creative people, do something to make the world a little nicer for folks to exist in?
Our answer to this question is the #ReelKind initiative: Majestical’s pledge to our planet and the people living on it.
What is the #ReelKind initiative then?
Through #ReelKind, the Majestical team are donating our time, skills, and fundraising power to support and uplift people.
“#ReelKind’s not necessarily about seismic, world-changing action (yet!) but because there’s something we can do, we’re definitely going to do it.
Through #ReelKind, the Majestical team will be supporting a wide variety of people in and around our community of Congleton and Cheshire, including: students who attend schools and academies nearby, charities and non-profits and community groups.
For us, this isn’t about handing cheques over to charities (although we do plan to offer fundraising support). We want to create opportunities for students and non-profits to benefit from our knowledge, expertise, resources, and – most importantly – our time.”
– George Roberts, Filmmaker & Head of Happiness
Like the people behind it, #ReelKind is creative about the solutions and support we offer. And all people from charities and community groups need to do in order to access #ReelKind resources and support is to get in touch.
How does #ReelKind support people in the community?
As a studio made up of passionate creative types, we wanted to establish a way to volunteer our time in a meaningful way.
#ReelKind sees using our individual expertise to connect with and support people in our community. We want to give organisations an opportunity to benefit in new, unexpected ways.
For example, our resident illustrator and storyboarder extraordinaire Vikki Hesse is planning to launch a competition for local schools through #ReelKind.
“The students who wish to take part will be tasked with designing a poster in response to a brief, and the winner will receive an iPad.
The thing is, the competition is not really about the iPad (although for the student who wins it, it’s absolutely going to be about the iPad!).
This initiative is about giving young people the opportunity to get creative and to gain experience with industry. When I’m judging the designs, I won’t be looking for the prettiest or most accurate drawings – I’ll be looking for those that answer the brief in an original, exciting way.
It’s about giving young artists the chance to have their art validated and celebrated.”
– Vikki Hesse, Illustrator, Animator & Brand Boss
And maybe (just maybe) this experience encourages one or two students to take the doodles in the back of their exercise-books a bit more seriously. Perhaps it even gives them the confidence to consider a career as a graphic designer, illustrator or artist.
Is this going to change the world? No, not really. Does it have the potential to change the life of a young creative in some way? Maybe.
With this in mind, is it worth doing? Hell, yeah.
Who has #ReelKind supported so far?
Although this is the official launch of the #ReelKind initiative, we’ve got a confession to make … we’ve already gotten started!
We know, we’re utter scoundrels.
Here’s what #ReelKind has gotten up to so far:
Challenged a group of primary school children to make some environmental campaign posters which were featured in a sustainable hackathon video (we thanked the kids by adopting an endangered turtle in their name!)
Sponsored a local author raising money for the Rainforest Trust with a debut publication, and donated the books we received as part of our sponsorship package to a local school.
Attended a Charity Marketing Peer Support Group as a guest speaker, sharing insights on how to maximise the impact and value of their video content.
Took part in both a Virtual Careers Expo and a student careers event for a local high school through the Cheshire Pledge, to both inspire young people and give them valuable interview experience.
Donated the profits from ethically made, reusable coffee cup sales to The Wingate Centre (find out exactly why we ended up with coffee cups to sell here).
Subscribed to the Ecologi platform, as part of our journey to becoming a low carbon business.
As an organisation, we want to build a strong foundation for #ReelKind so it can continue to grow and support more people and causes.
In order to make sure we’re operating fairly from day one, the whole Majestical team are stepping up to become the #ReelKind board of directors.
The video we created using artwork created by children at a local school
What’s the story behind #ReelKind?
What is this obsession with trying to inspire positive change, we hear you clamour?
Simply put, we want to create responsibly. We believe that every person has a responsibility to leave the world a little better than they found it, and with #ReelKind, we’re fulfilling that obligation as we work and create.
Majestical wants to empower our people with the gift of being able to give; giving their skills, their time, and their passion to help make the world a little better.
“For me, personally, the seed of the idea that kicked off #ReelKind was planted when my husband and I had our first baby.
Overnight, my view of the world changed completely
I wanted the best for this kid, and I wanted them to be able to grow up and live in a world that gave a shit.
Our #ReelKind initiative is Majestical’s way of giving a shit about the world and the people in it – and that includes us!
We love creating incredible work for our clients (and paying the bills is a nice bonus!), but there should be more to our time together than that.
What if your job gave you the chance to use your time, expertise and passion to make a difference to people in your community too? And what if your workplace facilitated this without you taking on extra unpaid labour?
Yeah, you’d probably be more jazzed about work, but that’s just the start – you’d feel connected to your community, proud of how you’d contributed, and maybe a little more positive about the world in general.”
– Katie Nuttall, Chief Dreamer
#ReelKind is about small actions we can take today that just might create a really big impact tomorrow – because what you do matters.
What’s on the horizon for the #ReelKind initiative?
If you’re going to dream, why not dream big?
“In the future we see #ReelKind becoming its own separate venture, allowing people beyond our corner of Cheshire to get involved and benefit.
We’d like to welcome more businesses to be part of #ReelKind, empowering them to offer their teams the chance to make a difference in their community too.
We envision a system where beneficiaries could apply for help and be matched with businesses who have the perfect expertise to support them.”
– Rachel Mellor, Head of Production, Purpose & Impact
And in the meantime, the important business of changing lives (in small but powerful ways) is already underway!
Keep an eye out for more news from the #ReelKind initiative soon.
Do you want to get involved in the #ReelKind initiative too?
If you’re a local school, charity or other non-profit who could do with some #ReelKind magic - or if you’re a business looking to provide support - then click the button to get in touch.
And if you liked this blog then please share it with your charity and marketing contacts and tell them to follow @itsmajestical to be kept up to date with more ambitious video production and animation success.
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