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Pacific Northwest salmon have been an integral part of local tribes’ way of life for millennia and are essential to Washington’s environment, economy and culture. Yet salmon runs have declined to near-extinction levels. Indigenous-led nonprofit Salmon Defense brought together a coalition to protect and restore salmon- tribal leaders, environmental scientists, government agencies, fishers, conservation groups and industry. C+C and production partner Invisible Collective were tapped to build support. A 4-minute anthem video, “Salmon Warriors,” showcases the real-life, behind-the-scenes heroes, highlighting how historical adversaries are working together to spur action.
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The audience (local residents 18+ who can vote) had a baseline familiarity with the issue and were somewhat supportive, but lacked an understanding of how dire the situation truly is. Tribal leaders and environmental scientists were seen as the most trusted messengers and the idea of historical adversaries working together was particularly compelling. However, given past broken promises, particularly for tribal leaders, it was challenging to get reluctant spokespeople into the spotlight.
Putting the coalition’s own “Salmon Warriors” front and center was key. A series of pre-production interviews helped build trust. Spokespeople invited the team into their homes, onto their boats, and to visit their families and sacred spaces. The team collected footage using high-quality drone, underwater, and slow-motion cameras. Using direct quotes, a conceptual script came to life with key shots centering around the elements and people of the Pacific Northwest. The video garnered 19.8M views, drove nearly 600 newsletter signups, increased social followers by an average of 400%, and website traffic by 11,407%. Salmon Defense’s coalition received a coveted invitation to present at SXSW 2025.
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