New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World--and How to Make It Work for You

by Jeremy Heimans

To get the word out, Invisible Children started to organize small screenings in churches and on campuses. Think of these as mini-Sundances, where communities of people would come together around the movie to engage with it, discuss it, and—crucially—act on it, offering their voice, funds, and support. The screenings could not offer a huge blast of publicity, but they offered a different kind of value: deep connections to local audiences. For the next eight years, Invisible Children shaped and perfected this local model. They would typically have two “tours” a year, where they would debut a new movie or highlight a key campaign. In total, they launched 16 tours, leading to over 13,000 screenings that reached an extraordinary 5 million people. Each of these mini-Sundances relied on their own Redford-like figures. Called “Roadies,” these were young people who would pledge six months of their lives to volunteering to organize campaigns and screenings. The recruiting video Invisible Children used to attract Roadies highlights why the job was so enticing. Telegenic former Roadies guaranteed that “you’re part of