Red Leaf Brands · Bad Counselors
02 · Strategic Framework

Mission-first. Then metrics.

Two audiences. One film. One North Star — built around the duality, not despite it.

Approach

This campaign is mission-driven before it is anything else. Every program is designed to bring the audience into a shared experience — to put youth groups, families, and skeptics in the same theater on the same weekend. Measurement follows mission: every initiative has a number attached, but the number serves the outcome, not the other way around.

01 · Mission
Bring the right audience into the theatre together.
02 · Method
Activate networks that already exist — don't manufacture demand.
03 · Measurement
Every program has a KPI; every KPI rolls up to recoupment.
Release Goals

Five outcomes the campaign is engineered to produce.

01
Elevate awareness of Bad Counselors
Drive theatrical discovery in target DMAs.
02
Elevate awareness of Loam Entertainment
Position the studio as a first-call partner for faith-forward film.
03
Create a missional experience for audience
Bring church groups, youth leaders, and families through the door together.
04
Increase value of home entertainment
Theatrical heat → premium VOD / SVOD valuation.
05
Recoup theatrical marketing P&A
Approximately $2M gross box office needed against a $600k marketing budget.
Audience

Finding the right people in the right place.

PRIMARY 
Christian Tweens, Teens, and Young Adults
Ages 16 – 25, skewing slightly female

The ultimate youth-group movie they won't be embarrassed to invite their secular friends to. In test screenings, 97% said they'd strongly recommend it — they felt 'seen' by insiders poking fun at the same things they do.

97%
Recommendation rate
HOOK: The Accidental Church Scene. Stud Muffins. The premise itself.
SECONDARY 
Faith-Adjacent Family & Cast Fans
Ages 28 – 55. Fathom Events regulars.

Wants films that are safe for the family but don't feel like a sermon. Responds to redemption arcs, genuine humor, and the Kintsugi idea — beauty through brokenness. Grew up on Bella & The Bulldogs, High School Musical The Musical The Series and have nostalgia about their youth and camp experiences. 

Fathom
Theatrical home base
HOOK: Tom's Brothel Speech. The Kintsugi opening. The transformation arc.
"Sometimes the biggest lie leads to the truth."
North Star positioning · works for both avatars.
Channel Mix

Owned · Influencers · Earned · Paid · Partnerships

Owned Media
01 / 05
Bad Counselors organic social, email list, and website — channels we control end-to-end.
Organic socialEmail (Mailchimp)Website (Powster)
Influencers
02 / 05
Cast collabs, NIL athlete roster, Theater Counselors, and creator-driven ticket giveaways.
CastNIL athletesTheater CounselorsCreators
Earned Media
03 / 05
EPIC-led faith + general-market press; Chris Fenton's "100% American-Made" industry + B2B story.
Digital pressRadioPodcastsTrade / B2B
Paid Media
04 / 05
Meta performance spend plus advertising access to Joe Christian Guy's aligned audience. 50% of P&A protected here.
Meta (FB / IG)YouTubeJoe Christian Guy audience
Partnerships 
05 / 05
Strategic partners activating their owned channels in exchange for marketing exposure.
FathomFamily RadioAngel StudiosMinistry partners

50% of P&A is protected for Paid Media, where we can hyper-target the demo and access influencer audiences efficiently. The other 50% multiplies through Owned, Influencers, Earned, and Partnerships — leverage, not spend.

Key DMAs

Six markets driving the launch.

Priority markets selected by booked theater density and the campaign's strongest boots-on-the-ground connections. The Cory Asbury × Forrest Frank tour (Jun 1 – Aug 1) overlaps several of these markets — those stops are layered on as activation moments, not the strategy itself.

DMA 01
Nashville, TN
Hub for Christian music + ministry. Strong theater density.
Family Radio · Hope Media Group · cast/crew base.
DMA 02
Los Angeles, CA
Talent home base. Press + cast availability.
EPIC Publicity · cast roster · Hollywood trade.
DMA 03
Houston, TX
Top faith-film market. KSBJ network.
KSBJ Promo · Hope Media Group · church partnerships.
DMA 04
Dallas–Ft. Worth, TX
Screening event city. Dense youth-group footprint.
Dallas Premiere (Jul 20) · Cru · Young Life.
DMA 05
Charlotte, NC
Elevation Church reach + Carolinas faith corridor.
Elevation Church · Barefoot Republic camp network.
DMA 06
New York, NY
Press + trade press market. Influencer/creator volume.
EPIC press tour · cast media days.
DMA 07
Phoenix, AZ
Production/cast tie-in market. Local press + screening anchor.
Production base · cast hometown activations.
Tour overlay · Tour overlaps 30+ DMAs; activations layered on tour stops where they fall inside our top markets.
Path to Recoupment

Reverse-engineered from the goal.

$600k of marketing has to recoup against $2M of gross. At $13 avg ticket × 160k tickets = $2M opening. At a 2.5× theatrical-to-total multiplier, that's $5M total domestic gross. Improve any single multiplier and the downstream numbers compress in our favor.

Impressions needed
3B
Engagements
89M
Tickets
160k
Avg ticket
$13
Impressions
3B
Engagements
89M
Considerations
2.7M
Purchasers
80k
Tickets
160k
Gross Box Office
$2M
P&A Recouped
$600k