In early September, we were approached by March Fourth, a non-partisan organization of concerned moms that formed after the Highland Park 4th of July shooting, to help mobilize people for a march at the US capital to encourage the Senate to pass the S. 736 Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

Their previous march had encouraged the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 1808, the first movement on a federal assault weapons ban in decades. We needed people to take action again. Only this march was in less than three weeks, and there was little to no budget.

In nine days, we conceived, produced and launched “I’m Not Gonna March,” a PSA that brought to life the absurdity of the terrifying reality that Americans are forced to live with on a daily basis as a result of the inaction of our elected officials. Production was split between Los Angeles and Chicago, thanks to the generous donations from Golden LA, the BMP Film Co., Work Editorial, Carbon VFX, Fiddle Leaf Sound, and media support from Zambezi LA.

Released a week before the 9/22 march, the PSA was widely shared organically across social media and covered by international press outlets including Forbes and Upworthy. The march in DC was a major success, with appearances from survivors of Uvalde, Parkland and other mass shooting communities, and led to productive bipartisan discussions among senators. It also united other anti-gun violence organizations to rally together, for the first time ever, as one voice.

So when it came time for the 2022 midterm elections, we adapted the PSA to encourage people to vote instead of march, and added 25 other anti-gun violence organizations as co-sponsors. And post-election, we adapted it yet again to encourage people to urge their senators to vote for S.736 before it expires on 12/31. Together, the three versions organically garnered nearly 2MM views across social media, shared by Katie Couric, Mary Trump, Elizabeth Banks, Billy Baldwin, Mark Hamill and many, many more influential voices.

While the legislation has since expired, the work remains relevant as mass shootings continue on an almost daily basis. March Fourth continues to use this campaign to generate momentum, most recently for another DC march earlier this month. Each effort has led to more and more conversations on both sides of the aisle, with more congressional support and pressure than ever before.