UConn Alum Leads PSA on Racial Profiling

A new public service announcement from UConn's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) is turning a complex policy issue into a clear message for the public, while also providing a recent alum with his directorial debut.

Created for the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project (CTRP3), the 60-second video is designed to help viewers understand statewide efforts to improve traffic safety and eliminate racial profiling.

Behind that brief message was more than six months of production work, as well as a professional milestone for Matt Johnson '25 (SFA), an Old Saybrook native and graduate who directed the spot.

"It felt like a big stepping stone," says Johnson. "It was real work, not just a school project, but still connected to UConn."

"It was exciting to support a recent UConn graduate at the beginning of his professional filmmaking career," says Ken Barone, project manager for CTRP3 and associate director of IMRP, which is part of UConn's School of Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "I am confident that his work will continue to make a difference as he uses his skills to inspire these thoughtful conversations."

CTRP3 is a statewide advisory board that oversees implementation of the Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act, which prohibits racial profiling by police. Led by Barone, the initiative examines traffic-stop data and works to promote transparency, accountability, and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

While the subject matter is complex, the goal of the public service announcement is straightforward: to communicate clearly, concisely, and in a way that resonates with a broad audience. Viewers are directed to the project's website, where they can learn about the law and how to file a report if they believe they have been racially profiled during a traffic stop.

In hiring a visual storyteller for this project, IMRP drew from an internal pipeline. Justin Liberman, assistant professor of digital media and design in the School of Fine Arts, connected the Institute with students from his narrative production class. Among them was Matt Johnson, whom Liberman recognized for both his technical ability and his readiness to take on a larger role.

"I hadn't heard of the IMRP or CTRP3 before the first call," says Johnson. "But with video, you get thrown into these projects, and it's your job to figure out how to communicate them."

That challenge quickly became part of the appeal.

Johnson had been producing his own content since high school and came to UConn hoping to capitalize on its strong program and local connections. He earned his degree in just three years and was ready to put his skills to work.

The project came at a pivotal moment, just as Johnson was transitioning from student to professional. For the first time, Johnson was managing a full production with a budget, coordinating a team, and navigating the expectations of multiple stakeholders. He also edited and created graphics and scored music for the video.

"It wasn't just making a video. It was running a production," Johnson says. "I'd never done a project on this scale with fiscal responsibility. Figuring that out was huge."

From concept through final editing, the public service announcement was developed through close collaboration between Johnson and IMRP staff, with script input from the project's advisory board.

That collaboration helped ensure that the message was both accurate and effective, particularly given the complexity of the topic. At the same time, it required translating creative ideas into terms accessible to partners less familiar with video production and securing and maintaining buy-in on the concept.

"It was a huge awakening," Johnson says of the script meetings. "Understanding how people feel in those traffic-stop situations was something I hadn't experienced before. I wanted to be sure to represent those experiences thoughtfully and accurately."

The resulting video captures the power of perspective, says Barone.

"By centering each person's lived experience, the video reminds us how important it is to listen, understand, and find common ground," says Barone.

The connections to IMRP and the CTRP3 advisory board helped bring that authenticity to the video. While Johnson hired an actor to portray a driver, a real-life officer from the Madison Police Department played the role of the on-scene officer. Local police also supported the shoot and helped ensure the safety of the crew during the roadway scene.

Filming took place outdoors and at UConn Hartford, where IMRP is housed, as well as the offices of West Hartford Chief of Police Vernon Riddick.

Several UConn contributors appear on-screen, including Barone, IMRP program administrator Erica Escobar, and Anya McGlaughlin, an IMRP research intern and School of Public Policy master's candidate.

For Johnson, who had often worked independently or with fellow students and classmates, the experience of supervising a six-person crew marked a shift.

"Having a full team, that was huge for me," says Johnson. "It changes what you're able to create."

IMRP has contracted Johnson to create a second CTRP3 outreach video and another featuring the community forums it runs around the state. He will add that to his busy post-graduate schedule.

In addition to running his own media company, Matt Johnson Media, he works part time as a video specialist with Miranda Creative, shooting commercial and social content for a variety of clients.

"I want to be part of projects at this level full time," he says. "I want to be the one shaping what people see on screen."

For IMRP, the collaboration reflects an ongoing effort to expand how its work is communicated and who helps tell those stories.

"This project showed what's possible," Johnson says. "When you bring together the right people, you can create something that really connects."