Owning the Story: Creating News Instead of Pitching It

The Ask

Gray Media had secured the purchase of the former GM Assembly Yards in Doraville, a massive 130+ acre site that had sat vacant for years. Their vision was to transform the concrete wasteland into one of the largest film and TV studios in the country. When the time came to announce the project, Gray Media approached Lucie Content with a traditional public relations question: Which media outlets should we pitch?

Lucie Content had a different answer: None. Instead of pitching the story, Lucie Content would create the news themselves.

The Strategy

Rather than relying on traditional media pitches, Lucie Content took full control of the narrative by producing an exclusive, high-quality video story. The approach included:

Key Stakeholder Interviews: Conversations with Gray Media’s CEO and other influential figures who could speak to the significance of the project.

Visual Storytelling: Bringing the site’s transformation to life through renderings, behind-the-scenes footage, and a compelling video presentation.

Economic Impact Highlight: Showcasing how the new studio would create thousands of jobs, boost local businesses, and elevate the profile of Dekalb County, Doraville, and Chamblee.

Strategic Distribution: Releasing the story through Gray Media’s owned channels, including their social media platforms and website, ensuring they controlled the messaging from the start.

The Impact

When the video launched, it didn’t just gain traction—it dominated the news cycle. Every major broadcaster in Atlanta showed up for live coverage, and top print publications embedded Lucie Content’s video in their reporting:

Broadcast Impact: Outlets like WSB-TV covered the story with live reports, amplifying Gray Media’s message.
Print Media Coverage: The Atlanta Business Chronicle and Atlanta Journal-Constitution picked up the story, embedding Lucie Content’s video in their digital articles, ensuring Gray’s perspective led the conversation.
Leveraging Social Media: Lucie Content strategically targeted the release of the story, turning owned media into earned media. By optimizing content distribution, engagement strategies, and precise audience targeting, we helped Gray Media’s social channels experience exponential growth:

Their LinkedIn following, which was initially small, has now skyrocketed to nearly 40,000 followers.
The relaunch of Gray’s social media channels led to:
- 75+ posts
- Nearly 400,000 reached
- Over 40,000 engagements
- A 60% increase in Gray’s Facebook following
- Gray’s highest-performing month ever on LinkedIn

By creating their own news, Gray Media ensured their announcement was told on their terms, shaping the narrative before traditional media could spin it. This strategy highlights what sets Lucie Content apart: a team of former journalists, producers, photographers, and PR professionals who know how to make news rather than chase it.

Lucie Content doesn’t just tell your story— we make sure the world listens.