Bahia Underground - film opening frame

Creative Direction Case Study

Bahia Underground
The Saga of Rogério BigBross


Transforming cultural memory into collective action

Role

Creative Direction • Documentary Filmmaking • Storytelling • Brand Strategy • Digital Strategy • UX Design • Content Strategy

cultural initiative

A self-initiated project created for the Histórias de Vida series. For this edition of the series, I invited Rogério BigBross — founder of BigBross Records and a key figure in Brazil's underground scene — to share the experiences that shaped his journey and contribution to independent music.

Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
context

Documenting a Cultural Legacy

Bahia Underground was born from the desire to document Rogério BigBross's journey and his contribution to Brazil's independent music scene.

More than a record of events or professional achievements, the project was conceived to explore the connection between Rogério's personal life and his role as a cultural catalyst, recognizing that his artistic work and life story are inseparable.

Challenge

From Cultural Story to Collective Movement

The challenge was to transform a culturally significant regional narrative into a sustainable initiative capable of mobilizing communities, strengthening public visibility, and generating long-term support.

In addition to producing the documentary, the project required the development of a clear identity, strategic communications, a digital ecosystem, stakeholder engagement, and a crowdfunding campaign designed to expand awareness and participation.

Approach

Building Engagement Through Storytelling and Community

Strategic Approach

I developed an integrated strategy that combined documentary storytelling, community building, and lean communication principles to expand the project's reach and foster engagement around Rogério BigBross's story.

Narrative

A Human Story Before a Music Story

Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo

The narrative was built around Rogério BigBross's personal journey, connecting life, culture, and artistic production through a story centered on the people who helped shape Brazil's underground music scene.

Community

Real Voices Strengthening the Narrative

Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo

The Voices of the Scene series brought together testimonials from artists, producers, and individuals connected to Rogério's journey, transforming project promotion into a collaborative process of cultural recognition and validation.

Lean Execution

Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources

Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo

The communication strategy was structured around short cycles of planning, production, and validation, prioritizing initiatives with the greatest relevance and reach for the community.

The process integrated content creation, live streams, testimonials, crowdfunding initiatives, and ongoing audience engagement into a single ecosystem.

Planning & Execution

Building and development process

  • Creative conception of the documentary project
  • Research and narrative development
  • Documentary direction
  • Visual identity creation
  • Digital communication planning
  • Crowdfunding campaign development
  • Production of promotional assets
  • Creation of the “Voices of the Scene” series
  • Digital channel management
  • Coordination with participants in Rogério BigBross’s journey
  • Structuring team contracts and image, voice, and music rights agreements
  • Planning of the second fundraising phase focused on accessibility and festival distribution
Official Bahia Underground Instagram profile
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Detail view of Bahia Underground official Instagram profile screenshot
Outcome

From Cultural Documentation to a Funded Movement

Phase I – Results (First Crowdfunding Stage)

Planning, Engaging & Building Community

June 24 – September 7, 2025
The project’s official Instagram profile — @bahia_underground — became the central hub for community engagement, bringing together documentary content, participant testimonials, production updates, and crowdfunding initiatives in one cohesive ecosystem.

  • 76.7K organic views
  • 3.2K engagements
  • 990+ community members
  • 42% of the initial funding goal achieved
  • First phase of the documentary successfully financed in 4K
76.7K
Views
3.2K
Interactions
1,100+
Community
42%
Funding

Phase II – Campaign Acceleration

Accessibility, Festival Distribution & Audience Mobilization

March 6 – June 22, 2026
The second phase focused on funding accessibility resources (closed captions, audio description, and Brazilian Sign Language interpretation) and film festival participation.

To support this effort, I conceived and built the official website as a strategic pitch tool for festival programmers, distributors, and cultural agents — designed with UX and Product Design principles and featuring the trailer, press kit, poster, and high-resolution stills.

Audience Validation

Instagram Performance Snapshot | May 25 – June 24, 2026

  • 88,987 content views
  • 22,254 unique accounts reached
  • 4,600 interactions
  • 178 new followers
  • 859 profile visits
  • 225 external link clicks
  • 73.2% of views generated by non-followers
  • 26.2% profile-to-link conversion rate

88,9K
content Views
22,2K
unique accounts reached
4,6K
interactions
178
new followers
859
profile visits
225
external link clicks
73.2%
views non-followers
26.2%
conversion
rate
Official Bahia Underground Instagram profile
Official Bahia Underground Instagram profile
Official Bahia Underground Instagram profile
Official Bahia Underground Instagram profile

Audience Profile

  • 42% aged 35–44
  • 69.5% male audience
  • 30.5% female audience
  • Main cities: São Paulo (15.3%) and Salvador (13.3%)
  • Primary market: Brazil (94.3%), with additional reach in Portugal, the United States, and Argentina

Crowdfunding Performance

The campaign was hosted on Catarse, Brazil's leading crowdfunding platform. Over the course of the second phase, the project received:

  • 2,050 page visits
  • 62 supporters
  • 3% conversion rate (visitor-to-supporter)
  • R$7,099 raised — 16.7% of the funding goal
  • 48.1% of all funds originated from Instagram traffic, validating the platform's role as the campaign's primary conversion driver

Catarse Campaign Results (Final 15 Days)

  • Funding increased from R$3,000** to **R$7,099
  • 136.6% growth during the final 15 days
  • 62 supporters engaged
  • 3% conversion rate

Creating Urgency and Social Proof

During the second fundraising phase, the campaign remained stagnant at R$3,000 for an extended period. To reignite momentum, I developed a closing communication strategy built around two complementary mechanisms:

  • Public recognition: daily posts featuring the image of each supporter and messages of appreciation.
  • Urgency: a countdown campaign signaling the remaining time to support the project — "15 days left", "14 days left", "13 days left", and so on.

The sequence transformed contributors into visible participants in the project's story while reinforcing the limited timeframe for participation.

Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo
Official Bahia Underground Instagram logo

Strategic Significance

The results demonstrated the project's ability to move beyond its immediate community and attract new audiences organically. More than seventy-three percent of all views originated from non-followers, while one in four profile visitors proceeded to access external links related to the project.

By combining social proof, recognition, and scarcity, the campaign converted passive interest into active participation and significantly accelerated fundraising performance during its final stage.

These indicators validated public interest in the documentary and reinforced the feasibility of a second fundraising phase dedicated to accessibility features, festival participation, and expanded distribution strategies.

Impact

Transforming History into a Movement

The project increased the visibility of Rogério BigBross’s journey, strengthened connections between artists, audiences, and cultural agents, and demonstrated the potential of combining documentary filmmaking, digital storytelling, and community participation.

Beyond documenting a story, Bahia Underground evolved into a space for cultural memory, independent production, and collective mobilization.

Community Building

Built an engaged community around the project

Organic Growth

Generated organic reach and audience expansion

Production Milestone

Enabled the first phase of the documentary in 4K

Conversion Strategy

Achieved a 3% conversion rate on Catarse, with 48.1% of funds driven by Instagram traffic.

Campaign Mobilization

Designed a recognition and countdown strategy that more than doubled campaign funding during the final fifteen days, increasing contributions from R$3,000 to R$7,099 and engaging 62 supporters.

Cultural Shift

Transformed a cultural story into a participatory movement
Strategic Insight

When storytelling, identity, and community align — and when creative strategy diagnoses problems and acts swiftly — even projects with limited resources can generate meaningful, measurable impact.

Expertise Applied

Research • Concept Development • Storytelling • Documentary Direction • Executive Production • Brand Development • Digital Strategy • User Experience • Content Strategy • Community Building • Campaign Mobilization • Conversion Strategy • Crowdfunding • Data-Driven Decision Making

Contact

Let's Create Something Meaningful

Whether you're developing a film, cultural initiative, brand, digital experience, or communication project, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Please complete the form below and I will respond as soon as possible.

You may also reach me directly at:
contact@neiomustafa.com