How Detroit filmmakers helped a socialist unseat a New York lawmaker

Marc Daalder | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Ocasio-Cortez win huge moment for democrats The upset primary win in New York by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a huge moment for the Democratic Party because it shows the left-wing base is energized heading into the midterms, according to AP National Politics Reporter Steve Peoples. (June 27)

When 28-year-old socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez triumphed over Democratic big-wig Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th congressional district on Tuesday, Detroit filmmakers Nick Hayes and Naomi Burton celebrated.

Tweeting from the account of Means of Production, their collaborative production company, Hayes and Burton wrote that “when candidates on the left present their message clearly and unapologetically, they can win. Means of Production is proud to carry that message, and we’re just getting started.”

Of course, they had reason to feel proud – they had filmed the viral campaign video that helped propel Ocasio-Cortez to national stardom.

It's time for a New York that works for all of us.



On June 26th, we can make it happen - but only if we have the #CourageToChange.



It's time to get to work. Please retweet this video and sign up to knock doors + more at https://t.co/kacKFI9RtI to bring our movement to Congress. pic.twitter.com/aqKMjovEjZ — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) May 30, 2018

Means of Production, Hayes said, is “a democratically organized leftist production cooperative. The goal is to empower and reflect the working class through an effective left media structure.”

Means of Production is exclusive about who it provides services for: “unions, the working class, progressive candidates and certain nonprofits,” Hayes told the Free Press.

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Hayes and Burton both worked in communications and production, filming advertisements for large corporations. After the 2016 elections, they became more involved with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has reported an increase in membership of more than 500 percent in 2017.

As they engaged with political issues from new and more radical perspectives, Hayes and Burton struggled with the way their professional life clashed with their values. “We realized we were essentially aiding in the dissemination of corporate propaganda,” Hayes said.

Ocasio-Cortez calls NY primary win a "surprise" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a political newcomer who upset 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley in the New York congressional Democrat primary, says "last night was a surprise." (June 27)

They left their previous jobs to form Means of Production, with the intent that it would be more accessible to working class people and progressive candidates, whose coffers might not be as full as corporate-sponsored politicians.

Usually, production is “so wildly expensive that only corporations can afford it,” Burton said. Means of Production lowers prices through refusing to overcharge.

“We’re not just blatantly ripping people off,” Hayes said. They use smaller crews and fewer resources to accomplish things more efficiently. “We pay people fairly but use low-cost production models,” he explained.

Their politics also help them produce cheaply. “We work with candidates and issues that we’re ideologically aligned with,” Burton said. “It takes a lot less people to develop a script when we know the policy and politics that they’re coming from.”

That’s how Means of Production produced the viral Ocasio-Cortez ad, which had more than 2.83 million views at press time. It was, Hayes said, “A very small footprint production. It was just Naomi and myself shooting it and a couple of campaign volunteers.”

Since the video went viral, Hayes and Burton have been contacted by candidates at all levels, from those running for federal office to people in municipal elections. One of their most recent clients is Katie Scott, who is running for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. Hayes said that Scott is “running as a progressive, working-class champion. She’s the real deal in Washtenaw County.”

People like Scott and Ocasio-Cortez are at the front of a groundswell of left-wing Democrats challenging establishment politicians across the country, Hayes and Burton said.

“Alexandria is just one of many,” Burton told the Free Press. “We just want all the Democrats who take corporate money and who have profited off of the working class and the oppressed for so long to know that there’s a new wave of Democrats coming to take their seats – and we are behind them and supporting them.”

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That goes for Detroit as well. “Detroit is a town run by Democrats,” Burton added. “But who are they working for? Corporations have bought off all of the Democrats here and it’s time for a change.”

Means of Production hopes to help facilitate that change by making high-quality communications, outreach, and productions accessible to progressives running on small-donation campaigns. “There are a lot of people to support who have been doing the work for a long time who have been shut out of these important communication tools,” Burton said. “We’re here to change that.”