From impossible ask to universal empathy.
The NFL lost available airtime, leaving Answer ALS with a fundraising ask that felt impossible: autographed items from a man who couldn't sign.
The real pain wasn't fundraising, it was loss. ALS steals your voice, your signature, your presence. Steve Gleason and Answer ALS changed what it meant to fight.
The ask stopped being about money and became about witness. People weren't buying a jersey — they were proving Steve Gleason is still here, still fighting. That reframe changed everything.
The BrokenMade Transformation Grid
From assumption to truth to impact
What They Thought They Knew
This was a fundraising problem. Find a workaround for the signature. Sell the item.
→What They Saw
People weren't disengaged. They were helpless. The ask needed to give them agency, not just access.
→How They Remade It
Reframed the entire campaign around witness. Buying in meant proving Steve is still here. Still fighting.
→Why It Mattered
The film was so powerful the NFL found airtime after all. Major awards followed, built on empathy not budget.