Our “Reality Is Us” campaign launched with a bold mission: reshape how young people think about civic engagement by building a vision of active, collective participation where our system of government is only as strong and courageous as we are. We didn’t guess what would resonate. Through seven rounds of rigorous message testing with approximately 2,000 people, focus groups with veterans and Gen Z activists, and data-driven iteration, we developed a campaign message that cut through the noise. The insight was simple but powerful: speaking up isn’t always easy, but when the stakes are high, telling a difficult truth can feel like the only right thing to do. The results speak to the power of thoughtful strategy meeting authentic storytelling. We reached 1,930,090 people and generated 1,433,120 impressions on Instagram alone, creating a digital movement that transcended typical film marketing. Most importantly, we inspired 62,486 concrete actions and collected 45,000 petition signatures advocating for Reality Winner’s pardon. This wasn’t passive engagement or empty clicks. These were real people taking meaningful steps toward justice because they connected with Reality’s story and saw themselves in her courage.