How Do You Turn Testimonials Into
Emotional
Showstoppers?
When SCORE San Francisco and its partners planned their 2024 Small Business Awards Gala, they wanted to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of five small businesses honored as “Clients of the Year.” But they didn’t want just another awards night—they wanted an event that captured the emotional weight of the challenges these businesses overcame and the life-changing impact of mentorship.
The solution? Goldilocks Studios created five short films, each telling the unique and powerful story of a small business and the mentor who guided them through their toughest moments. Together, these films became the emotional core of the gala, comprising 90% of the evening’s programming and leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
The Challenge
SCORE and its partners, The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), The Small Business Administration (SBA), The Women’s Business Center (WBC), and APEX Accelerator, aimed to achieve three key goals with these films:
Celebrate small business success: Showcase the incredible journeys of five businesses that overcame significant challenges with the help of their mentors.
Create a cohesive event: Each story needed to feel unique, but the films also had to work together to create a seamless, engaging program.
Engage a diverse audience: Attendees included small business owners, financial institutions, government agencies, and mentoring organizations, many of whom were meeting for the first time. The films needed to resonate emotionally and inspire collaboration.
SCORE entrusted Goldilocks Studios to lead the entire video process—from finding the right angle for each story to planning and executing the shoots—all with minimal input from the organization.
Our Approach
Goldilocks Studios took a storytelling-first approach to ensure each film felt distinct yet tied into the evening’s larger narrative. The goal was to make mentorship feel indispensable while showing the hard work and determination of each small business owner in a positive light.
Here’s how we achieved it:
Finding the emotional core of each story: We interviewed the mentors and business owners to uncover the challenges they faced and the turning points that defined their journeys.
Balancing individuality and cohesion: Each film showcased a unique story, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of the business while maintaining a consistent tone and style across all five films to unify the evening.
Building empathy and pride: The films emphasized the real stakes of running a small business, portraying the owners as resilient and capable while showing how mentorship provided critical support.
High-quality production: The films combined professional visuals with compelling narratives to ensure the event felt polished, impactful, and worthy of its audience.
The Results
The films premiered to a packed audience of small business owners, mentors, financial institutions, and government representatives. They became the highlight of the evening, leaving attendees inspired and energized.
Key outcomes include:
Immediate success: The gala sparked new collaborations between organizations, including partnerships with the Bank of San Francisco and other financial institutions.
Increased visibility: The videos continue to be used by SCORE and its partners for outreach, recruitment, and marketing efforts.
Long-term impact: SCORE’s 2025 gala will expand on this success, with Goldilocks Studios returning to create another round of films.
“This event has catapulted our outreach and marketing efforts to a higher and more extensive level. The relationships we built through this event with SBA lenders and other partners are priceless”
Watch the Videos
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Watch the Videos 〰️
Fortitude Careers | SCORE
Saleae | SBA
Inle Burmese | SBDC
McWoods Distribution | APEX
Sal’s Autohaus | WBC
Click above to watch each of the five videos we produced for the SF Small Business Awards
What Made This Work Stand Out
The success of this project lay in its ability to transform a potentially dry topic into something visceral, emotional, and exciting. By focusing on the human stories behind small business success, Goldilocks Studios:
Brought mentorship to life: The films made the audience feel the real stakes and tangible results of coaching and support.
Fostered collaboration: The films served as a catalyst for deeper connections between attendees, sparking partnerships that extended beyond the gala.
Reflected SCORE’s mission: The project highlighted the profound human impact of SCORE’s work while positioning the organization as a key player in the small business ecosystem.
Ready to create something
that’s juuuust right?
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Your story deserves to be unforgettable. Let’s work together to create videos and strategies that make your brand stand out. Click below to schedule your complimentary discovery call.