Getting into Sundance is pretty fantastic; getting into Sundance with six films in one year is truly phenomenal. Enter, The Lagralane Group.
A finance and project development company, The Lagralane Group seeks to bring narratives of uncommon voices, courageous visionaries and inspirational story tellers to a larger audience, ie, the big screen and has been doing so successfully since 2015.
Founded by husband and wife team, Yvonne and Jason Lee – both lifetime actors and multi-ethnic persons of color, they not only want to broaden the pallet of storytelling, but also tell stories that move people while giving opportunity to those who aspire to do the same.
As first-time Oscar winners (ICARUS/Documentary Feature, 2018), you can witness their mission in effect within their projects that screened at Sundance 2018:
2018 Sundance Film Festival NEXT Innovator Award Winner. Night Comes On is a raw and lyrical coming-of-age tale and a testament to Jordana Spiro’s gifts as a nuanced and empathetic storyteller on the rise.
2018 Sundance Audience Award Winner. World Documentary. This is Home follows four families sent to resettle in Baltimore. They have just eight months to find jobs, learn English, and become self-sufficient.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Selection. Who was Grandma Annette? In 306 Hollywood, fragments of a modest life mingle mystically—creating a profound meditation on memory bursting at the seams with love.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Selection. An artful and moving film, Inventing Tomorrow looks optimistically at the future through the passion and forward thinking of these exceptional teens.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Selection. Oscar winning director Morgan Neville offers a deliberate and beautiful tribute to an authentic human being and provides a much-needed salve for these often-fraught times.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Selection. With consummate skill Filmmaker Robert Greene artfully stirs up the ghosts of our past as a cautionary tale that speaks to our present.
If you watch the Lagralane “About Us” video on their website, you’ll hear co-founder Yvonne Lee say that she is the brains of the operation, her husband Jason is the idea guy and their COO Matthew Soraci is the brawn. This approach seems to be working quite well for this team; their project choice is a testament to that. Using this sort of divide and conquer together was a tactic that also served us well in working Sundance with Lagralane this year.
Our mutual goal was to enhance brand awareness through publicity opportunities and industry opportunities. What better environment to do this in than the Sundance Film Festival, a mutual client?
We love the synergy that is created behind Jive PR + Digital representing film festivals and entertainment clients. One would say we’re creating a niche and we’re quite proud of it. Our executive team has years of experience representing all sides of this creative spectrum. We understand how it all ties together from industry relations, to on-site management, to actually understanding what it takes to run and compete in a successful film festival or theatrical release…we get it. With a client like Lagralane Group, they got it too. Together, we sat down and fleshed stories and angles to pitch. We were in it together and that’s what we always want from a client. From Yvonne’s brains to Jason’s ideas and Matt’s brawn, we went into Sundance with a clear goal. And it worked! We secured first-time industry meetings with AFI, ICM, Hot Docs, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, Netflix, CAA, Hulu and SXSW, which lead to an offer of a panel presentation at the festival! As we approach Sundance 2019, we’re looking forward to more greatness to come.
To learn more about Lagralane, click here. To get in touch with us and to get involved in our Jive synergy, contact us here.
Megan Balyk is Vice President at Jive PR + Digital, where she helps consumer and immersive brands build cult‑level followings through integrated PR, social, and influencer marketing that drives measurable ROI. With 15+ years of experience across North America, Asia, and Africa, she has a strong track record of leading high-performing marketing teams and scaling companies (from start-ups to publicly traded companies).
A recurring source for outlets such as Business Insider, Megan is known for blending cultural insight with sharp performance thinking to help brands show up where Gen Z and millennials actually are—not just where the media plan says they should be. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the University of San Francisco School of Management’s Digital Marketing program, helping shape the next generation of marketers in the world of AI.
