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.