What happens when a YouTube engineering and aviation influencer shares the story of struggling with her mental health after an IUD insertion? Why, she gets reported to the FAA, “diagnosed” with hysteria, and grounded– maybe for life. 

In this short documentary produced by our team at Long Haul Films, YouTuber Xyla Foxlin shares the astonishing story of how the FAA grounded her due to mental health concerns linked to birth control. Her experience raises critical questions about access to professional mental health support for pilots, and how the FAA’s policies push pilots who need mental health support into the shadows… and even out of the cockpit for life.

This issue doesn’t just impact pilots, it’s something that affects all of us who rely on air travel.

This short doc was produced entirely by a small but mighty team from Long Haul Films, and it’s already had a huge impact, racking up more than 300k views and more than 5,000 comments in its first week on YouTube, while also raising more than 10k in donations and inspiring hundreds of people to sign up to volunteer with the Pilot Mental Health Campaign, an organization Xyla is working with to help change the way the FAA handles mental health for pilots. 

If you’re thinking about creating documentary content to connect your brand with customers, or to raise donations for your organization, here are some key takeaways from this project:

• Take risks! Be prepared to go out on a limb, and be wildly authentic. There is so much content out there, and a lot of it is repetitive, dull, and expected. If you want to catch attention, you need to think about what stories you can share that your audience hasn’t heard before, and find ways to communicate that feel “non branded”.
  
  Often, brands want to play it safe when it comes to their video content, but safe often equals boring and boring often equals low viewership and engagement. This video with Xyla took off like it did because the subject matter was so compelling and unique– it took risks, and it paid off.
  
• Collaborate with an influencer. Consider working with a relevant influencer, who has an in-built audience that aligns with your brand. In this case, the partnership between Xyla, who has a large audience of engineers and aviation enthusiasts, and PMHC was a perfect one, as her audience is already passionate about and interested in issues related to aviation, mental health, and the FAA.
  
• Make it verite. To create compelling and eye-catching documentary content, move beyond the realm of talking head interviews and look for opportunities to capture more real, fly-on-the-wall moments. Like in this short doc, when the camera follows Xyla to the airport, to see her Cesna for the first time since being grounded by the FAA months ago. This type of footage brings the viewer into the story, it feels cinematic, and it’s very dynamic to watch.
  
• Don’t be afraid to go long. We’ve become accustomed to creating a lot of short-form content, meant to capture people’s attention in under 2 minutes. But YouTube’s algorithm actually rewards longer pieces of content (they want to keep eyes on their platform as much as you want to keep them on your video). This also gives your content life to use in other places, for example at comapany events and fundraisers. In addition to featuring this video online, the PMHC will show it at a fundraising and advocacy dinner in Washington, DC– a great way to get people emotionally invested in the cause.

If you’re interested in leveraging documentary storytelling to connect your brand with new followers, fans, customers, and advocates, reach out and schedule a brainstorming call with our team at info@longhaulfilms.com.