Susan G. Komen Oregon & SW Washington: Heather's story

Like many young women, Heather Krom never expected her life would be upended by a diagnosis of breast cancer. Uninsured and scared, Heather struggled to find doctors who would treat her.

Then Heather placed a phone call to the team at Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW Washington. It was a phone call that saved her life. Komen Oregon wanted to share Heather’s inspiring story, and they turned to us for help.

Objective
Telling Heather’s story required sensitivity, a gentle touch and empathetic listening. Making people feel comfortable and confident in sharing their stories on camera is a specialty of ours, and it all starts with building trust prior to filming.

What we did
We spent time with Heather and her family before we turned on the cameras. We observed the way Heather and her partner interacted with their kids, and with each other. We wanted to capture a series of everyday, human moments that, when viewed through the lens of Heather’s cancer diagnosis, would tell a compelling story.

Results
Heather’s Story” helped Komen Oregon raise $325,000 for breast cancer education and local support services.

jesuit high school fundraising story

Jesuits are known for their commitment to education. One way that commitment shows up at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, is through the school’s endowment.

Objective
We partnered with the Wave One Group and the Jesuit communications and development teams to produce a  video “making the case” for alumni to financially support the school’s endowment fund.

What we did
The video’s theme focused on the ways the school used income generated from its endowment fund. We decided the best way to narrate this story was through interviews with with parents, a student receiving financial aid, teachers, board members and school administrators. In addition to conducting these interviews, we also filmed in and around the campus, capturing key images that would resonate with the alumni audience.

Results
The Jesuit development team initially used this video to help raise more than $500,000 at a financial aid luncheon. The development team also played this video to alumni gatherings across the country, as a way to educate former students about the important role the endowment plays in the school community.

The Storybook Project

The Storybook Project was a labor of love inspired by Chelsea Harper and Brook Irwin, both mothers of young children, who lived with Stage IV breast cancer in Portland, Oregon.

Objective
In 2013, Chelsea and Brook launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of Mama Has Cancer, a personalized story book designed to help “mamas talk to their kiddos about breast cancer.” We were captivated by the project and offered our video production services on a pro bono basis to help the two women produce a video for their campaign.

What we did
We worked with Chelsea and Brook to develop a story line for the video. We provided creative direction for the piece, arranged filming shoots with the two women and their children, and conducted interviews. We edited the story and delivered the video file to the two women to launch their Kickstarter campaign.

Results
Chelsea and Brook’s Kickstarter campaign raised more than $19,000. The money was used to print, assemble, and distribute a limited edition of their book to families across the United States. Chelsea and Brook are no longer with us, but friends and family are continuing their work. Stage Two of the project includes finding a publisher, creating an online storybook site where families can personalize their own book, and making the book available to families who need it.

Remember the Wounded Ride

Scot King is a man on a mission: to cycle 14,000 miles from coast to coast, and raise money to help veterans wounded in combat and their families who find themselves in circumstances where assistance from the usual sources (government, military and Veterans Administration) are not covered or have been exhausted.

Objective
Scot wanted a video to introduce people to his mission, and explain the purpose behind his nonprofit, Remember the Wounded Ride (RTWR). We provided pro bono video production services for this project.

What we did
Creative direction; story development and planning; location scouting; filming; conducting interviews; editing.

Results
Scot used this video to secure media coverage and raise awareness for his mission.

The ALS Association: Oregon-SW Washington Chapter

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Right now, there is no cure. But there is help for people living with the disease, and their families, thanks to The ALS Association, and its local chapters.

Objective
To commemorate the Oregon and SW Washington chapter’s tenth anniversary, we worked with the Wave One Group and the ALS team to produce a fundraising video that covered three themes:

• How people living with ALS and their families dealt with the disease before the local ALS chapter was established in 2002;

• Key Chapter milestones during the first ten years;

• Engage a new generation of donors to the ALS mission.

What we did
Because love and loss are so intertwined with ALS, we needed to approach this story with an extra dose of sensitivity, respect, and empathy. During our interviews, we gave family members and people living with ALS  all the time they needed to share their stories. As much as possible, we let our interviewees guide their interviews, which built trust and good will. We wanted people to feel comfortable sharing personal, and sometimes, painful memories of their loved ones, and we created a safe space to them to do so.

Results
This story helped our local ALS Chapter raise more than $400,000 in 2013 for local programs and services.

Edison High School, Portland, Oregon

Portland’s Edison High School is the only high school in Oregon and SW Washington dedicated to students with complex learning differences. At Edison, students with learning difficulties discover their own paths to academic success, guided by teachers and staff who understand that learning styles are as unique as each student.

Objective
For the school’s 2014 Partner with Edison Breakfast, we partnered with the Wave One Group and the Edison team to create a video featuring Ian, an Edison student, and his family, and showed why a “win” for an Edison student is a “win” for parents, too.

What we did
We spent time with Ian, filming him in school and at home with his family. Through interviews with Ian and his mom, we learned how the Edison approach helped Ian take responsibility for his academic success. 

Results
Our video helped Edison raise $185,000 during its Partner with Edison Breakfast event, to help support financial aid, technology, and professional development at the school.