Mehdi Unfiltered EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Creative Minds Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Viral Videos
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Nov 24, 2025 
Join video producers Donald Borenstein, Debbie Sasslow, and Olivia Becker as they share their insights on the viral success of Zohran Mamdani's campaign. They delve into how creative stunts, like the polar plunge, helped explain policies engagingly. The team discusses Mamdani's on-camera charisma and their multi-platform strategy to connect with diverse communities. From experimenting with formats to analyzing voter reactions, their transparent approach shows how authenticity and humor can transform digital content into powerful voter mobilization tools.
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Message Consistency Is Essential
- The campaign kept affordability at the center of every piece of content to maintain message clarity across formats.
- Consistent messaging tied videos to voter action like canvassing and sharing, amplifying impact.
One-Year Platform-Dominant Plan
- Debbie Sasslow made a one-year plan to make Zoran platform-dominant and produced a deck of ideas with scripted and direct pieces.
- The polar plunge video stemmed from that plan and put him on a national stage while explaining policy detail.
Halal-Flation Beat Explained
- The halal-flation spot originated from Zoran and Anthony coining the phrase and interviewing halal cart owners in cold weather.
- The ad combined humor with policy details about costly vendor permits to explain why prices rose.