Platforms are shifting, new storytellers are emerging, and media systems are transforming in the continued revolutionary digital media era. Documentary has long enjoyed a vibrant space in the global media ecology, and the marketplace for creative nonfiction storytelling continues to expand around the world. The digital age of documentary reveals both new opportunities and challenges for nonfiction storytellers and organizations – that is, the era of YouTube, social media, streaming networks, and accessible filmmaking equipment. Audiences are finding nonfiction stories in new ways...

Active Voice started an initiative called "How Do We Know" to connect impact work with evidence. As part of this, the organization has compiled a curated, working list of practical measurement resources developed by Active Voice Lab and other organizations, including their new Ask the Evaluators! series, which explores real-world assessment of recent media projects.

Active Voice launched a multi-year initiative called “Beyond the Choir” (BTC) to systematically explore how it could help filmmakers connect with new audiences. Active Voice’s experience suggests that if filmmakers, advocates and policy shapers connected earlier in the creative process, documentaries could be more vibrant tools for addressing social issues and public policy in ways that audiences outside the “Sundance Belt” can hear. Specifically, filmmakers could get expert input on the issues their films treat, and policy advocates could get powerful stories that are connected to the change they’re trying to make. This report uses the case study of “Welcome to Shelbyville” to illustrate the approach.