Case Study · Angel Studios

From shelved to #1.

Sound of Freedom entered a crowded Fourth of July release window with little press momentum, a difficult subject and no traditional mega-studio PR machine. EPIC helped lead the campaign that broke through.

See the results ↓

Global box office 250M+

July 4 #1 at the box office

01 · The Challenge

The story was already complicated. The launch made it harder.

After years on the shelf, Sound of Freedom had little public awareness, limited media momentum, a politically charged subject and a Fourth of July release date that put an independent film head-to-head with major studio titles.

What Had to Line Up

Shelf Life

Reintroduce a film that had been sitting for years with almost no public awareness or press momentum.

Subject

Communicate around child trafficking with clarity in a media environment where the issue was often politicized.

Media

Break through skepticism and resistance tied to the cast, the topic and the cultural conversation surrounding both.

Timing

Compete over Fourth of July weekend without the traditional publicity machine behind a major studio release.

04 · EPIC's Role

The message stayed clear. Everything around it moved fast.

EPIC helped lead the campaign alongside the studio team and other agency partners, keeping the film's purpose front and center while coordinating the people, press and pressure surrounding the release.

Led PR-team coordination to keep strategy, message and tone aligned.

Developed the core messaging that protected the film's purpose.

Managed talent prep, interviews, travel, schedules and red-carpet logistics.

Pitched and secured coverage across mainstream, conservative and faith-based media.

Managed reputation risk and media challenges as the cultural conversation intensified.

Campaign in the Wild

From skepticism to everywhere.

Mainstream. Faith-based. Conservative. Television, print and digital. The goal wasn't to find one friendly audience. It was to create a national conversation without losing control of the message.

06 · The Outcome

Nobody was ignoring it anymore.

The campaign didn't simply drive awareness. It helped ignite a cultural conversation, fueled extraordinary press volume and supported a box-office run that defied expectations.

Global box office

250M+

Making Sound of Freedom one of the most successful indie films ever.

783+

Pieces of press coverage, including NBC, Newsweek, People, Fox News and The Daily Wire.

At the box office on July 4, ahead of major studio releases.

A shelved independent film became one of the most talked-about releases in the country.

Jennifer Willingham

Founder & CEO, EPIC Agency

What made it work

“

We didn't just run PR — we led with conviction, managed the chaos, and protected the message and served both the studio and the talent with excellence. We managed multiple constituencies with grace, even in the face of major external pressure. This was more than a movie release. It was a mission and we were honored to help carry it.

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