A more human way to discuss what matters most.
Curious Jackson
Need to explain an idea?
Such as…
…what climate justice looks like
Featuring Kevin J Patel, Founder & Executive Director of One Up Action
…whether single-use plastics are safer than reusables during COVID
Featuring Cassia Patel, Program Director of Oceanic Global
…how the U.S. Census data is used
Featuring Joie Ha, Partnership Specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau
Why I Made This
Today, pornography is sex education and Twitter is a news source. These probably weren’t the intentions but they are now facts.
I believe that, today, people learn the most when they're on the toilet - when they're mindlessly scrolling. People learn behavior changes and change minds when among trusted friends and when they're bored. I learned how to make slime while waiting for my mom to put on shoes and why China has a shortage of pork when I didn't want to get out of bed on a Sunday morning.
Since social media has become an “education” platform, the way we teach needs to adapt as well.
In my personal journey of sustainability research, I learned that solutions to our climate crisis exist - they just have a huge PR problem because these solutions are so complex and ever-changing that it's incredibly difficult to explain, especially by scientists, and often times, facts don't change minds - storytelling does.
This show tells the story of an average millennial trying to learn and asks the skeptical but necessary questions. This humanizes these conversations because they are no longer just about the research, but the curious everyday people behind the research.
Every film is propaganda and this show is using those techniques for educational purposes.
Watch all episodes here.
If you have a complex organizational message or mission, filming a "Curious Jackson" video is a no-brainer! His questions are smart, targeted, and effective. He really knows how to find and tell the important story to showcase you in the best light.
Jackson himself is a joy to work with: very friendly, engaging, and creative. I would highly recommend him to any individual or company who has something to say.
— Tiffany Duong, Director of Engagement and Partnerships at Investable Oceans
Use Cases
In a society overloaded with information, we have entered the age of curation. How we communicate information is vitally important to how it can be received.
This format is best for answering skeptical questions such as how decisions were made, what the process is like or why something is controversial. Below are some examples of what you can use an episode to explain:
Marketing
Why your product or service is necessary
What your brand commitment entails
Why the new policy change
As the public becomes more aware and demands more transparency, answering skeptical questions is now critical to brand loyalty and trust.
Education
Why your cause or issue is important
What your staff needs to know (eg. training videos)
Where different arguments have merits
Just like talented artists in the entertainment industry, scientists and researchers also need producers to make their content accessible to the masses.
“We need to speak to the heart, not to the head.”
— Peggy Liu
Why This Format?
Cheap
Video work is notoriously expensive, but in this format, there is no need for expensive equipment for camera, lighting, or audio; No need for travel expenses, location permits or massive crew; No need for royalties for music or stock footage.
This can be filmed and produced all remotely with fast turnarounds.
Insightful
The questions are astute to get to the meaningful discussions and the editing distills the otherwise long conversations to cover extensive topics faster.
Every episode invites more questions and answers than initially prompted in a natural flow.
Effective
Similar to a common film writing technique, having a relatable, likable character ask questions often works better than simply saying the answers.
The writing, composition and editing are all catered to social media algorithms, maximizing attention span and retention rate.
The Philosophy
This show is not be cinematic in the slightest. In fact, it is meant to be a joke, or more specifically, a meme. It follows the Tik Tok-style of videos to feed broccoli while disguised as just another random funny video on the Internet.
At a time when documentary filmmakers everywhere are trying hard to make “talking heads” interesting, Internet formats such as reaction videos, vlogs and Tik Tok explainer videos have been consistently successful in retaining millions of subscribers. The low budget feel creates a sense of familiarity while the writers and editors maintain high production quality with their content.
The familiarity of style married with intellectual conversations also encourages curiosity and normalizes having friends in all walks of life to talk to such as activists, therapists, engineers, business executives, community leaders, data analysts, academics and more.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Pictured here are the audience engagement numbers for a Curious Jackson episode compared to the client channel’s regular numbers on Instagram’s IGTV.
Click here to see it on Oceanic Global’s Instagram.
A Story of Us
Ultimately, this is a story of us. The host is us - desperately trying to learn what is right and wrong in a world of overwhelming information.
Science is about learning how we could be wrong and great discoveries always start with a bit of curiosity. There is no better place and time to normalize these productive conversations for this generation…
…because not only is our generation the most informed in the history of human race, we are also the most skeptical and open to change our minds.