Maintaining public trust through a leadership transition
Public trust is a critical asset for Ohr Torah Stone (OTS), a global educational network of over 30 institutions. When founder Rabbi Shlomo Riskin retired and Rabbi Dr. Katriel (Kenneth) Brander stepped into the role of President and Rosh HaYeshiva, OTS needed supporters to experience continuity while quickly becoming familiar with Rabbi Brander's voice and vision at scale.
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Rabbi Brander entered the role with an established reputation and decades of leadership experience — but OTS needed supporters across its global network to develop a strong sense of connection and recognition during a sensitive leadership transition.
A previous parsha video series communicated ideas, but it wasn't yet helping supporters develop a memorable sense of Rabbi Brander himself.
How do you help supporters connect with a new leader in a way that feels authentic, earned, and scalable — without relying on institutional messaging alone?
Process
Through conversations with Rabbi Brander and his team, we identified a strategic opportunity: supporters would connect more deeply if they experienced his leadership through a format that showcased his genuine intellectual curiosity — not just prepared messaging.
We proposed a bold pivot: reimagine the series around Rabbi Brander's passion for archaeology and place-based learning, using on-location episodes to bring Torah ideas to life through tangible sites and contemporary relevance.
Each episode was designed to give supporters repeated exposure to Rabbi Brander's thought process, values, and voice in a way that felt natural and memorable.
Results
The redesigned series averaged 28,700 views per episode, an 11.5× increase over the previous format — achieved without increasing publishing frequency.
Engagement was unusually strong: roughly 80% of viewers watched 80% or more of each episode, indicating sustained attention rarely seen in multi-minute educational content.
More importantly, the impact extended beyond digital metrics. Supporters began referencing episodes in meetings and recognizing Rabbi Brander before introductions, accelerating familiarity and strengthening trust during a sensitive leadership transition.
