In May 2024, the City of Lancaster, supported by a grant from the California Highway Patrol, partnered with Tripepi Smith to enhance its ongoing efforts to combat impaired driving under the influence of cannabis. The educational campaign, anchored by a powerful documentary-style video, aimed to show both the hard realities of impaired driving and reinforce the City’s commitment to keep its roads safe through proactive education and community outreach.
“Addressing impaired driving and making our roads safer requires more than just sharing facts — it’s about connecting people emotionally to the reality of these dangers,” said Lancaster Community Outreach Specialist John Keith. “Tripepi Smith took this basic principle and turned it into resonating and informative content to effectively distribute our message to the community.”
The project, overseen by Senior Business Analyst Kalee Cummings with video production assistance from Junior Videographers Ethan De La Peña and Daniel Ceruti and creative collaboration with City of Lancaster staff, included a 20-minute documentary-style video and three short videos to distill the key messages for social media.
The long-form content featured interviews from various community perspectives, creating a comprehensive narrative around the consequences of impaired driving. The video incorporated the stories of a resident who tragically lost a friend to a drunk driver, and a reformed impaired driver who wanted to speak out to prevent others from making the same mistakes. By drawing on the more widely understood dangers of drunk driving, the campaign underscored the similar risks posed by cannabis-related impairment.
Lancaster’s Police Chief, Assistant Chief, and a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department officer were also interviewed, drawing important parallels between cannabis-related and alcohol-related impairments and consequences and broadening the conversation to the city’s educational initiatives aimed at preventing impaired driving before it happens. The interviews were conducted by Lancaster’s Tiff-on-the-Town host, Tiffany Johnson, who also appeared on-screen as the interviewer, with the footage enhanced by impactful b-roll and imagery to create a dynamic visual narrative.
- To extend the reach of this message and maintain momentum across platforms, Tripepi Smith produced three 1-minute social media videos designed to deliver powerful snapshots of the full video: The first video highlights the dangers and legal consequences of cannabis-impaired driving, reminding viewers the importance of understanding these risks.
- The second video focuses on road safety and vigilance, particularly in sharing the road with children.
- The third video brings a personal, emotional perspective, asking the audience to reflect on the broader, lasting impacts of impaired driving on their families and the community.
“Working on this project gave us a unique opportunity to collaborate with Lancaster to make an impact on an issue that affects communities everywhere,” said Kalee. “Our approach was to create content that connects emotionally while also reinforcing the city’s broader educational efforts. By using real stories and experiences, we were able to tell a story that can really resonate with their community. We’re proud to contribute to Lancaster’s ongoing work to keep its roads safer.”
In addition to supporting Lancaster’s ‘Drive Sober’ campaign efforts, Tripepi Smith has also supported communications efforts for the City’s ‘SEE AND BE SEEN’ bicycle and pedestrian safety initiative.
About the City of Lancaster
The City of Lancaster is located near the northern edge of Los Angeles County and, along with its twin city Palmdale, makes up the largest cities within the Antelope Valley. Since its incorporation in 1977, the City’s population has grown to over 157,000 residents. Lancaster is known for its dedication to renewable energy, and it is on track to achieving carbon neutrality.
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is a California-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, aerial imagery, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Duarte, City of Grover Beach, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lake Forest, City of Livermore, City of Malibu, City of Napa, City of Palmdale, City of Paramount, City of Tracy, CalChoice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Rowland Water District, California City Management Foundation, Renne Public Law Group, West Coast Arborists, Scripps College, Blind Children’s Center and Climatec.
