Embrace the Mess
Podcast + Professional Development Workshop Series
Co-Creator + Co-Host + Editor
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Designed to dismantle barriers that prohibit vulnerability and creativity between educators and teenagers, I drafted this boundary-breaking curriculum over the course of two years at Frederick Douglass High School and Forrest Hill Academy.
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ETM was selected by Southwest EDU 2020 as a professional development workshop and continues to be successfully implemented in several youth storytelling programs in Atlanta and beyond.
Know Your Worth
Music Video
Director + Editor + Teaching Artist
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In this first iteration of Embrace the Mess, I used financial literacy as a backdrop to teach a group of teen artists how to create a character that is complete with objectives, obstacles and intentions, and then write a song in three Acts.
I then guided their performances in the studio as well as on camera in the production of a no-budget music video about a young artist who discovers that she has been undercutting the value of her own work.
AT&T Westside Storytelling
Narrative Shorts
Program Designer + Director + Teaching Artist
As Senior Producer of re:imagine/ATL and in partnership with AT&T, Atlanta Police Foundation, and @Promise Center, this was perhaps the most transformative iteration of my Embrace the Mess program.
I led three teaching artists and thirty teens through the process of creating a character that is loosely based on themselves and turning that into a story in 3 Acts.
I then introduced the teens to the process of auditioning, location scouting, storyboarding, and eventually directed their performances in three narrative short films.
Where I'm From
Narrative Short
Director + Teaching Artist
The winner and one of three narrative shorts I directed for the AT&T Westside Storytelling Competition.
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A young man feeling the weight of double consciousness is encouraged to write poetry and share his talent.
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It Takes a Man
Documentary Short
Producer + Director + Editor
Commissioned by the Women’s Resource Center, a Decatur-based non-profit committed to eradicating domestic violence, I delivered a pair of hard-hitting documentaries, authentic reflections of the organization’s core mission, at the annual Champions for Change fundraiser in 2017.
It Takes a Man is an exploration of the idea that teaching boys emotional intelligence at an early age is an important means of preventing violence against women.
Safe House
Documentary Short
Producer + Director
Commissioned by the Women’s Resource Center, a Decatur-based non-profit committed to eradicating domestic violence, I delivered a pair of hard-hitting documentaries, authentic reflections of the organization’s core mission, at the annual Champions for Change fundraiser in 2017.
Safe House is about a family who stayed in the WRCDV safe house honoring two special WRC volunteers.
Dharma Project | #yogathevote
Social Media Promo
Director + DP + Editor
I wanted to experiment with editing social media text explainers, so I grabbed a Sony a7sii and shot this event for my sister's non-profit The Dharma Project.
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I had a lot of fun playing with text and graphical transitions. I'm also very used to cutting to music that has an actual beat, but I ended up using the recording of the live music that was playing, which was very ambient and linear. It was very interesting finding the silent beats and rhythm in the track.
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Returning Yoga to its Roots
Social Media Promo
Director + Editor
Once again, I wanted to experiment with editing social media text explainers, but this time a grabbed a couple friends along with a Sony a7sii and shot this footage at my sister's yoga studio.
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