SUCCESSFUL EVENT
Restoring Family
The Need
The work of All God’s Children International focuses largely on helping children and families heal from trauma through the work of healthy adults. But what if your audience doesn’t fully understand what trauma is and how its effects can make escape seem impossible? Working closely with the keynote speaker of AGCI’s 2026 fundraising event in Austin, TX, I was able to intentionally craft a story that complimented the information she was sharing, bringing the idea of childhood trauma in Ethiopia to life. I travelled to Ethiopia to capture interview footage of the two main subjects of the film in their home, collaborating closely with in-country staff to ensure our presence would have the least amount of impact on their standing in their community and to ensure that retelling this story would not re-traumatize anyone sharing. Separately I was able to capture dramatized footage with local actors to visually fill in gaps in the story left by a lack of photos and videos from the subjects’ past. The end result is an 8-minute film that is paced to feel like 3 minutes and brings the audience on a journey through trauma and into the start of the healing process. As the film played, the room of 250 people was completely silent.
the results
This film played a key role in raising more than a million dollars at a single event, raising far more than expected in one night.
Restoring Family
This film gave an in-person audience a glimpse into a life of trauma and healing.