We’ve been quietly celebrating 10 years of work together as a sister team. It’s been a very good journey. With a couple of bumps in the road, of course, especially during the 2008 financial crisis, but always with steady work on projects that we are happy to stand behind.
This post is a celebration and a message of gratitude. We give thanks to the filmmakers with whom we have had the honor to work, supporting their films, vision, and goals, as well as to the other industry professionals we’ve met and collaborated with. And we are thankful for the resources that we’ve had access to that have enhanced our work.
First Steps
The story of our team began with our first film project, A Sea Change. Angela began work with this film on ocean acidification in the summer of 2008, and Gwen came on board when we saw an opportunity to screen an excerpt at an important environmental conference in Barcelona, organized by the IUCN. We ended up working with Barbara and Sven, the two brilliant filmmakers and ocean advocates, and the rest of the Niijii Films team, for over a year and a half. This is where we got our feet wet, so to speak, and haven’t looked back since. It was exhilarating, educational and, especially, meaningful, to work with a project with such a clear mission: to educate others on the effects of climate change on the oceans and their creatures and how this can affect human life. We learned to define our work as “outreach” and “impact”, as we developed strong partnerships and saw how others were moved to understanding and action.
Clients and Colleagues
After working with Sven and Barbara, the ball just kept rolling. Among our clients, we’ve worked with filmmaker and environmental advocate Susan Rockefeller on several projects; Michelle Esrick, Jennifer McShane, Katina Dunn, Peter Rader and Paola di Fiorio and Old Dog Documentaries, among many others. More information about how we worked on these films can be found on our Past Projects page. We thank them all for trusting in us, and for their contributions to meaningful filmmaking.
Also to be recognized are the numerous colleagues whom we’ve met and/or collaborated with over the years, all of them valuable professionals — Fernanda Rossi, who has referred us to clients, worked with us as a client, and who is a remarkable hard-working, dedicated, passionate wordsmith and script consultant; Lisa Smithline, a tenacious, sharp outreach and impact consultant who has teamed up with us on various projects; Naiara Eizaguirre-Paulos, our Spain-New York connection, who helped us support theatrical releases in NYC; Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, excellent transcriber, translator and doc filmmaker who is successfully spearheading the outreach for her latest film on a terrible subject that needs to be addressed, human trafficking and sexual abuse. We have also very much enjoyed working with JPD Studio for design elements, including branding and website development. This is a small and spunky agency located in NYC who can manage projects with anyone anywhere. It is a pleasure to work with such spirited women in the industry.
Helpful Resources
Just a few of the groups and goto’s that have been a large part of our work:
The D-Word: THE online resource for documentary professionals the world over.
Doculink: a helpful listserv on Yahoo, with lively questions, friendly advice and exchanges.
MeetUp: a terrific platform to include in outreach campaigns, as well as for socializing and participating in all your favorite hobbies.
Dallas Videofest: Bart Weiss is an industry and local legend. His weekly “Bart chat” is cheerful and informative. His love of and work for the film business are constant.
Since 2008, we have worked with over 30 award-winning and powerful films, with varying themes, from the environment, to social issues, to spirituality. At various stages of production–months before lock, at the moment of funding, just before a festival release. And in different capacities: community engagement and event organization for screenings, social media marketing, strategic partnerships, and long term outreach and impact campaigns. It has been a wonderful journey, and we’re ready for more years to go.