I inspire action through storytelling. 

Using research, dialogue, and writing, I discover the commonality connecting us all together. Then, I create compassionate narratives designed to instill an emotional response that triggers change.

I co-led the strategy and creation of the global fundraising platform UNICEF 360° and Karamoja Rising—two short-form virtual reality documentaries filmed in Karamoja, Uganda, one of the most dangerous and poorest places on earth.

The films were screened at the Davos World Economic Forum - UNICEF, Oculus, Facebook screening, The Women and Water Installation - Oculus World Trade Center, NYC, and at the United Nations, NYC, UNICEF Conference on Virtual Reality.

Responsibilities: Research, Interviewing, Strategy, Creative Direction, Storytelling, Copywriting

BACKGROUND
Once a category leader, UNICEF Canada discovered that people felt emotionally disconnected from the brand and the organization’s global fieldwork. Lost in a sea of charities, all competing for the same donor dollars, UNICEF Canada needed to do something new.

STRATEGY
Our goal was to reconnect people emotionally to the critical aid UNICEF provides to children in need worldwide. Utilizing Google cardboard and 360° video content, we created a VR (virtual reality) platform for UNICEF.

Utilizing Google cardboard and 360° video content, we created a VR (virtual reality) platform for UNICEF. Using only a cardboard “headset” and a smartphone, anyone could now join UNICEF on a virtual field expedition and see for themselves how their donations  impact children's lives.

Karamoja Rising

Virtual Reality Short Documentaries

Rotary International

Documentary interviewer and co-content creator for Rotary International’s VR film “Two Drops of Patience,” which debuted in June 2018 at the Rotary International conference in Toronto to an audience of 30,000 people.

A crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, Polio mainly affects children under five years. As long as a single child remains infected, as many as 200,000 new cases could develop in one year, and within ten years, the disease could spread all over the world.

The eradication of polio is one of Rotary International’s longest-standing and most significant efforts. In "Two Drops of Patience,” we follow Patience Asiimwe deep into the mountains of northeastern Uganda as she and her Rotarian polio vaccination team strive to ensure that children without access to healthcare are protected from polio. Taking viewers on a visceral and emotional journey, this VR film allows millions of people to have the opportunity to witness an authentic experience of being on the front lines of polio eradication.

Follow Patience Asiimwe deep into the mountains of northeastern Uganda as she and her polio vaccination team strive to ensure that children with no access to healthcare are protected from polio.

Far beyond filmmaking, with assistance from the Rotary Club of Soroti, we coordinated with the local government, the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization to obtain the proper permissions and assistance to perform a polio vaccination in a very remote area of Uganda.

Two Drops of Patience went live in the Rotary VR app on September 1st, 2018, in 9 languages. It premiered to thousands at the Toronto Rotary Convention and was officially shared on World Polio Day (October 24th, 2018) to millions.

The world must remain committed to the fight against polio — because even one case is one too many.

No more to scroll. Instead, please reach out on LinkedIn.