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From the 10th Annual Shorty Awards

MTV Decoded

Entered in Social Activism

Objectives

America is at a boiling point with racial tension, so of course we're going to have a digital show that dishes it all out for everyone. MTV Decoded is everywhere - Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, - and we're getting to the bottom of this racial hotbed we call America. Our fearless host, Franchesca Ramsey, brings her comedic, conversational, and brilliant perspective to some of our society's biggest problems in stereotyping and discrimination. She never holds back and - while we have our fair share of trolls - we are informing millions of people how to rethink their behavior on race.

Decoded doesn't just tackle the politics surrounding racism, but the everyday encounters. "The personal is political" is apparent when you get into conversations about things like western beauty standards, how people condescend to marginalized groups, and racial dating preferences. We want to get it across to people that the scary word "racism" doesn't always look like the KKK, but it informs a lot of our judgements about people based only on how we've grown up.

Strategy and Execution

We make sure our titles are strong and the topics are identity-focused with very specific takeaways in order for people to share them. We also have a fantastic graphics team that makes all of this digestible for the casual viewer. These videos are deep-dives that are straightforward teachable moments.

Results

When an episode strikes a chord on Facebook, it really goes viral. The audience also gets into fascinating conversation in the comments, as they are thinking and talking about a lot of these issues for the first time.

On the press side, Decoded is consistently written up in places like Huffington Post, Bustle, and Everyday Feminism. It's a series that both connects to young people who want change in the world as well as a resource for activists and teachers.

We think that having these conversations legitimized by the MTV brand makes people more aware of social justice and ready for change. Already, the new generation is all about activism and Decoded is helping them understand the world around them.

Media

Video for MTV Decoded

Entrant Company / Organization Name

MTV

Entry Credits