Documentary filmmaker, author

Client

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Ben Patton

Founder, Patton Veterans Project

Documentary filmmaker, author, speaker, and veterans advocate.

The Patton Veterans Project uses filmmaking workshops to help veterans process PTSD, trauma, and reintegration challenges through narrative therapy and collaborative storytelling.

Audience:

• Foundations and grant providers
• Corporate sponsors
• Event organisers and podcast hosts
• Veterans and military families

Use case:

• Increase fundraising opportunities
• Drive speaking engagements
• Build national authority and visibility
• Expand impact beyond military communities

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The Problem

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Ben had significant offline credibility.

• Founder of a respected veteran initiative
• Years of impact through workshops and films
• Strong military legacy and media background
• Published author and documentary filmmaker

But online? Almost nobody knew.

Before working with Kurogo Ben had:

• Just 385 LinkedIn followers
• 2,500 impressions across the previous 90 days
• No consistent content strategy
• Minimal visibility outside his existing circles

And that created a major bottleneck because the scale of his mission depended on the scale of his visibility. HIs fundraising and impact were directly tied to the number of people who knew and trusted his work.

Without visibility:

• Funders couldn’t discover the work
• Speaking organisers couldn’t assess his authority
• Veterans outside his network wouldn’t find the programme
• The broader public wouldn’t understand the crisis he was solving

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Why He Came to Kurogo

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Ben was referred to Kurogo through an existing client. His goals were clear from the beginning, he just needed the right plan:

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Short-term goals (90 days)

• Raise visibility
• Start generating paid speaking opportunities
• Build the authority and credibility his work deserved

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Medium-term goals (12 months)

• Increase profile to support fundraising
• Generate more speaking invitations
• Grow an engaged LinkedIn audience

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Long-term goals (1 year+)

• Secure larger grants and funding opportunities
• Become a recognised authority in veteran mental health
• Expand workshops nationally and internationally
• Eventually broaden the mission into civilian trauma recovery

His personal brand was a tool for:

• Scaling impact
• Increasing trust
• Expanding reach for a mission-led organisation

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Our Diagnosis

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From the positioning process, we identified a major gap:

Ben had credibility and powerful stories, but no clear narrative around it.

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Our Approach

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Step 1: Positioning Before Posting

We built a positioning strategy around a clear mission-led identity:

A compassionate, impact-driven leader helping veterans overcome trauma through filmmaking and narrative therapy.

We defined:

• His positioning statement
• Audience psychographics
• Brand values
• Tone of voice
• Content pillars
• Commercial roadmap

The strategy focused on three core audiences:

1. foundations and investors
2. Speaking & Podcast Opportunities
3. Veterans & Families

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Content Strategy

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We intentionally avoided:

• Corporate nonprofit messaging
• Overly polished “charity marketing”
• Generic military content

Instead, we focused on:

• Emotional storytelling
• Thought leadership
• Human impact
• Vulnerability and compassion

The strategy combined:

• The emotional vulnerability of veteran advocacy
• The authority of filmmaking and psychology
• The relatability of personal stories

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Core Content Pillars

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We structured content around four themes:

• Inside War, Outside War
  PTSD, reintegration, family dynamics, leadership, resilience
• Filmmaking & Creativity
  Narrative therapy, storytelling, preserving history
• Patton Veterans Project
  Workshop outcomes, case studies, veterans stories, impact
• Ben Patton
  Personal mission, family legacy, speaking, fatherhood, advocacy

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The Results

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Before Kurogo

• 385 followers
• 2,500 impressions across 90 days

Minimal visibility despite years of meaningful work.

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After Month 1

• 2,669 followers
• 372,716 impressions

Immediate traction and visibility.

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After 90 Days

• 5,162 followers
• 1,157,345 impressions

From 2,500 impressions in 90 days before working with Kurogo to over 1.1 million impressions in the first 90 days with Kurogo.

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After 10 Months

• 7,708 followers
• 1.9M+ impressions

And importantly, relevant visibility with:

• Foundations
• Veterans organisations
• Event organisers
• Media and podcast hosts

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What Changed

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Ben went from a respected figure within a relatively small network to a nationally visible advocate and authority in veteran mental health.

His content now:

• Builds trust at scale
• Increases awareness around veteran trauma
• Creates inbound speaking and partnership opportunities
• Expands the reach of the Patton Veterans Project far beyond existing circles

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Why This Matters

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For mission-led organisations, visibility drives opportunity.

• Funders back people they trust
• Conferences book people they recognise
• Audiences support missions they emotionally connect with

Ben’s LinkedIn became:

• A fundraising asset
• A speaking engine
• A trust-building platform
• A national awareness channel for the Foundation

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Who This Is For

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This approach works best for:

• Mission-led founders
• Nonprofits and foundations
• Speakers and advocates
• Leaders with strong offline credibility but low online visibility

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