Docu-Short Video Series
My Role: Producer/Director
Filmed & Produced 2017
This video series tells the story of human trafficking through the voices of American teenagers.
The true story is that Jami, a young Indian girl, was kidnapped near her rural home and trafficked into a nearby city. We used the personas of American teens to help tell Jami's story and illustrate that this crime could happen to anyone, anywhere. 14 students, ages 14-18, participated in our video project where they bravely went on camera to talk about the realities of human trafficking.
We wanted to create a compelling story to help Western viewers connect with the problem of human trafficking. Our goal was to help them see that the problem is everywhere, and that all the young people affected by this crime are precious.
The video was picked up by Upworthy and has received hundreds of thousands of views.
As lead on this project, I storyboarded each piece, wrote scripts, recruited and interviewed students, as well as directed and produced the finished product with our videographer and editor, Kyle Bush.
My Name is Jami
Caption: After learning about the realities of human trafficking, a group of high school students from a local church were brave and vulnerable enough to go on camera for us. These 14 students ages 14 – 18 chose to participate in a video project where they told the story of a real-life survivor — many with tears. “People look back and say that slavery or human trafficking was something from the past, something we read in history books, but it’s a real problem right now.” – Mia, 14 years old. The resulting video, was incredibly powerful and one of our personal favorites. #Storymakers2017
