1711 Studios partnered with IDSA LA to reposition the school within a crowded and highly competitive acting landscape. The goal was to clearly define what made IDSA LA distinct, and to shift how the school was perceived by prospective students within the LA creative scene.

LA drama schools often compete on prestige, intensity, and access. IDSA LA’s real strength lay elsewhere: a genuinely supportive, community-led environment that allowed emerging actors to develop their voice without pressure to perform a persona.

This story existed internally, but it wasn’t being communicated clearly or consistently to the outside world.

We began with a positioning and narrative phase, working closely with faculty, students, and alumni to understand how IDSA LA was experienced from the inside. This insight shaped a new brand narrative centred on authenticity, opportunity, and cultural openness.

From there, we translated the positioning into a cohesive storytelling framework that could live across press, digital platforms, and audience-facing campaigns. Real student voices became the foundation of the story, ensuring the messaging felt credible and lived-in rather than promotional.

Our work included:

• Defining IDSA LA’s positioning as a community-first drama school

• Refining brand messaging and tone of voice

• Developing a clear narrative that could support press, content, and marketing

• Shaping visual and editorial direction to align with contemporary LA culture

To support the new positioning, we led a digital-first visibility campaign designed to introduce IDSA LA to new audiences while reinforcing credibility.

This included:

• Story-led digital campaigns using real student experiences

• Platform-specific content for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

• Search and discovery optimisation to improve visibility at key decision moments

• Integrated messaging across social, email, and web touchpoints

All activity was aligned to the same narrative, ensuring consistency in how the school showed up publicly.

Over a three-month period, the repositioning and visibility strategy delivered measurable impact:

• 68% increase in audition applications

• 43% rise in social engagement

• Website traffic more than doubled

• Top-three Google search placement for major acting school keywords

Outcome

The repositioning established IDSA LA as a culturally relevant and trusted space for emerging actors in Hollywood. Rather than competing on prestige alone, the school became known for its people-first approach, creative openness, and sense of community.

This project reflects 1711 Studios’ approach to cultural PR: starting with positioning and narrative, then supporting it through storytelling, visibility, and strategic press-led thinking.