The Film
Shot over 17 months, GENERATION STARTUP captures the struggles and triumphs of six recent college graduates building startups in Detroit. This raw, honest but ultimately uplifting film celebrates moving outside our comfort zone, diversity in startups and entrepreneurship as a driver of economic development.
reaching a wide audience
We were entrepreneurial and strategic in our distribution in order to achieve wide reach.
Theatrical: We premiered at Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit and film festivals, then released GENERATION STARTUP theatrically in NY, LA and Detroit in fall 2016, garnering positive national press and buzz. This drove robust demand for event screenings across the country.
Event Screenings: Hundreds of major corporations, venture funds, startups, foundations and nonprofits organized public and private screenings to create community or internal team building around the film. Cheryl Houser and others involved in the film often spoke at these event screenings.
Netflix and other Outlets: Netflix released the film in the U.S. six months after our theatrical release. It is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and other outlets.
Educational: Universities across the country have organized event screenings around the film, and an educational distributor is licensing it to middle schools, high schools, universities and libraries for educators to use in their classrooms. We created robust curriculum around eight themes in the film to accompany our educational release.
American Film Showcase: GENERATION STARTUP was shown around the world as part of a cultural diplomacy program through the State Department and USC Film School. Cheryl Houser traveled with it to Tunisia, Chile, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos where she conducted workshops and speaking engagements for the filmmaking and entrepreneurship communities in those countries.
event screenings (A Small sampling)
Event Screenings Testimonials
“We were honored to screen GENERATION STARTUP on InDay. It was very inspiring and many themes resonated with our employees: how to overcome fear/failure, how important it is to take intelligent risks, how rewarding it is to do something bigger than yourself and how important it is to find meaning in your work. This event was incredibly popular - we had a full house of 150 employees, standing room only!”
“We were thrilled to host an early screening of GENERATION STARTUP and a panel discussion that was live streamed to 35 other campuses across the country. It is often difficult for us to convey both the thrills and the challenges of any entrepreneurial endeavor. Young entrepreneurs who watch Generation Startup will venture into their startups with their eyes wide open.”
“GENERATION STARTUP was empowering and raw and truly inspired our team at Trunk Club, New York to be the best version of themselves. The entrepreneurs in the film failed forward, they were honest and hardworking and they persevered through difficult situations that in the end made them stronger and more successful. Our team connected deeply with the movie and felt motivated afterwards to build something significant of their own.”
“KIVA hosted a packed screening of GENERATION STARTUP at Google’s San Francisco office. The movie was gritty and inspiring in equal measure. It has galvanized us to work even harder in our mission to catalyze the development of entrepreneurs, especially in financially marginalized communities.”
“With humor and candor, GENERATION STARTUP offers an invaluable glimpse of the “startup years.” The stories are relevant to virtually every college graduate and young entrepreneur, as each learns not only to apply recently gained knowledge across disciplines and situations, but also to find the strength within to fuel that effort.”
“GENERATION STARTUP energized our community through the authentic story of the hustle, grit and determination it takes to ‘startup’. A must see for aspiring entrepreneurs to reinforce anything is possible!”
NETFLIX
Netflix released the film to their 49.5 million subscribers in the U.S. six months after our theatrical release.
watch
branding & Marketing
Creative Breed has been the driving creative force behind the branding and marketing of the film. We oversaw the creation of the film’s poster and created the film’s trailer in-house, released on iTunes in August 2016. We also built and maintain the film’s website.
Social Media
Creative Breed has spearheaded GENERATION STARTUP’s successful social media campaign, including the strategy, creative execution and ad buying, achieving our three primary goals: 1) to increase awareness about the film; 2) to drive ticket sales and event bookings; 3) to create community and uplift around the themes of entrepreneurship and risk-taking.
TESTIMONIAL
“Best-in-class storytellers. Exceptional collaborators. Amazing people. Working with Creative Breed was so uplifting that I miss it, which I didn’t know was possible. They tell beautiful, human stories that move people. If you have a story to tell and have a chance to work with them, jump at it. They are the best I’ve ever seen at what they do.”
PRESS
Work
Girl Code
Official Website
Generation Startup