Above: My HEATKILLS.us project, that helps to prevent dogs from suffering in hot cars
I work to develop knowledge tools and activism strategies to advocate for and defend freedom, America, Israel, children and dogs, in both serious and funny ways. I have a long list of testimonials regarding the efficacy and efficiency of my approaches and work products.
Contents
(1) Summary
(2) My core competencies
(3) The key non-technical value that I bring to advocacy projects
(4) My five focal areas in advocacy: Freedom, America, Israel, children and dogs
(5) Testimonials sampler
(1) Summary
Above: My objective was to devise a means of conveying the cruel, unspoken impact of welfare entitlement “pushers.” Details here.
Since 1998, I’ve earned a track record of success as an advocacy media consultant, strategist, writer and designer. Through my unique combination of creative and analytical skills, I have helped clients to:
- Solve difficult advocacy communications challenges
- Craft (or re-craft) their logos and core messaging
- Develop winning marketing materials and grassroots activism/outreach strategies
- Whenever possible, employ biting satire in written and visual form to frame key evidence and arguments
Whenever possible, I have also created my own advocacy and activism projects. Here are two of these projects that are now online, and are being prepared for commercialization:
- HEATKILLS.us: A website that helps to prevent dogs from suffering in hot cars, that is generally regarded as the most advanced in this realm
- ILoveIsrael.me: A website that presents evidence-based information about what makes Israel such a remarkable, inspiring nation
(2) My core competencies
As described here, my core competencies, developed and utilized by organizations throughout the US and Southeast Asia since 1989, include:
(a) Converting complex/controversial data into easy-to-understand visual formats
(b) 2D and 3D animation storyboarding and direction
(c) Developing “knowledge tools” and activism strategies that meet target audiences “where they are”
(d) Writing verbal frameworks for accountable presentations, in both screen and print formats
(e) Packaging vital evidence in funny ways
(f) Logo design & brand development
(f) Evidentiary database architecture
These skills, combined with my experience in litigation media design, advertising and corporate communications, enable me to help clients design and develop mission-critical advocacy and activism projects.
(3) The key non-technical values that I bring to advocacy projects
The two key non-technical values that I bring to advocacy and activism projects are:
(1) Strategic empathy
(2) A focus on creating measurable results
(1) Strategic empathy
I define this as my ability to view contentious and challenging situations from multiple, often conflicting perspectives, then develop innovative, compelling and memorable messaging structures to achieve the mission objective. After researching the target audience’s lives, beliefs and media usage patterns, I am able to look at the world as they do, understand how they process information and form conclusions, and design knowledge tools and activism strategies that “meet them where they are,” and appeal not only to their intellects, but to give them high confidence that what they are experiencing is legitimate and important, in and to which they can easily relate to their own lives.
Here are a few examples of my how I’ve funneled my technical skills through my strategic empathy empathy model.
Case study: Key infographics to explain a tax reform proposal designed to help low-income Virginia homeowners
If you’ve ever attempted to discuss tax policy with someone who has never engaged in or witnessed such a discussion, their eyes tend to glaze over, and anticipate what you have to say will be very complicated. And yet, such people were being driven out of their homes because of skyrocketing Virginia property tax increases.
My challenge here was to graphically explain, in single-frame infographics, two things: (a) the reason why this was happening, and (b) what their situation would look like if my client’s tax reform proposal was enacted into law. Specifically, my client wanted to lower annual property tax increases to 1%. I also redesigned the organization’s logo, and rewrote all of its promotional materials, based mostly on my strategic empathy. Details here.
Case study: Provide a crash course to the American people on how our most influential “news” organizations used stage imagery and emotional verbiage to deify a domestic terrorist
To my knowledge, I am the only one who in 2019 correlated the staged photos taken of a domestic terrorist and her toddler, to the iconic “Madonna and Child” paintings of the last 1,000 years.
My challenge was to provide the American people — and especially, young people — with a crash course in what ISIS actually is, and does, and what survivors of ISIS slavery say about the terrorist group, as a basis on which to intelligently evaluate how America’s most influential “news” organizations depicted this ISIS terrorist.
As you review this slide show, imagine what would (rightfully) happen to Fox News and its advertisers if it depicted a white supremacist or neo-Nazi terrorist in such a fashion. But here, there were no consequences, even though I co-authored letters that went directly to the heads of these “news” organizations. See my full report here.
Special report: The U.S. “news” media depicts an American terrorist and her son as “Madonna & Child” from JonSutzSTW
(2) A focus on creating measurable results
The advocacy and activism realms attract people who “want to make a difference,” and I am one of them. After working in these realms for more than 25 years, both for and with professionals, and on my own projects, I’ve noticed something that I believe is a grave oversight, both by individuals and organizations: the lack of (a) a clearly-defined objective, and (b) measurable metrics by which to determine one’s performance in making progress towards achieving that objective.
In 2018, particularly in response to the spiraling hatred of Israel, based on insanely bogus perceptions, I decided to begin my process of developing conceptual frameworks for new projects by defining (a) my mission objective, and (b) how prospective financial backers can measure my progress towards this objective. What I quickly learned differentiates me in this realm is that I propose measuring not just work products and trivialities (articles, social media followers, etc.), but public knowledge of, and perceptions of vital issues pertaining to my project.
I also began documenting the mission statements of organizations that allegedly represent “the good guys,” and comparing them to the metrics that show where things are, and researching how they got there, and using this data as part of my funding pitches. The philanthropists with whom I’ve discussed my approach, particularly since 10/7, have been very appreciative that I am baking into my project a means by which to measure their ROI.
Update, September 14, 2024: One key freedom-oriented philanthropist, Leonard Leo, shares this view, and will begin implementing a top-to-bottom review of all the groups he funds, based on a metrics analysis.
(4) My five focal areas in advocacy: Freedom, America, Israel, children and dogs
Prior to 9/11, my work was focused primarily on commercial endeavors, ranging from advertising creative leadership, to 2D and 3D animation storyboarding, script writing for corporate documentaries and training programs and later, litigation media design and consulting.
9/11 changed my life, and, as the son of one of the last Jewish children the Nazis allowed to leave occupied Vienna, I felt compelled to use my considerable range of skills to help advance and defend my most cherished values:
- Freedom
- America
- Israel
- Children
- Dogs
See my Advocacy media portfolio for examples of my work.
(5) Testimonials sampler
“You’re a sane man in an insane world. Thanks for keeping the pressure on.”
Ben Wetmore, Executive Director, Project Veritas
“Jon has an uncanny grasp of the challenges facing those wishing to advocate liberty in the public square, which are even more significant and complex, given the American Islamic Forum for Democracy’s mission to do so in an environment that encompasses religion, law, philosophy and national security. We found his input on our (existing) website, logo, and the body of other visual and written media we have developed and employ, to be uniquely on-point, and well thought-out.
Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., Founder & President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy
“I highly recommend Jon for his invaluable assistance to Moms For Liberty in clarifying messaging on a complex and challenging issue. Jon’s insightful guidance and clear communication skills played a pivotal role in navigating the intricacies of the matter, ultimately leading to a more coherent and effective message.”
– Tiffany Justice, co-founder, Moms For Liberty
“Jon’s creativity, passion and strong work ethic were vital assets to us, and any serious liberty-oriented organization would benefit by enlisting him in its development and outreach efforts.”
– Logan Darrow Clements, CEO, Freestar Media
See more testimonials from my clients and colleagues here.