GTACS Gladhander 2024
This was the second year Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools brought me in to film the video for its annual Gladhander auction, and this year the focus was on high-energy, high-action video. I made the decision to open the video with a high-energy montage of football footage (something the St. Francis High School faithful are very proud of), then lead into student testimonials about their experiences attending the Catholic schools in Traverse City.
Gladhander 2024 set a fundraising record of more than $600,000 raised in a single night.
Shortly after the event concluded I received a lovely email from one of the attendees at the event, a snippet of which read: “Having devoted more than 46 years of my life to Catholic education, every time I watch one of the videos that you produce, my eyes tear up because the video perfectly encapsulates the beauty and meaning and significance of Catholic education. … Your videos capture the essence of what great Catholic teachers do in Traverse City.”
It was around the production process for Gladhander 2024 that talks began between myself and Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools about what it might look like to come on board full-time as their new Director of Marketing & Communications, a role I am so excited to begin working in.
Similar projects:
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Stewardship for Saints and Scholars Capital Campaign
Launched in October 2024, Stewardship for Saints and Scholars is the Diocese of Lansing’s capital campaign for Catholic education. With a goal of $70 million, the campaign aims to raise money to train and retain the best faculty and teachers, grow the financial aid endowment and help our schools provide for students with diverse learning needs.
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GTACS Prayer Breakfast 2024 Video
I began working with Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools in 2023 by producing the video for their annual Gladhander auction. Shortly after the auction had successfully concluded, the staff at GTACS asked me to come back to produce another video for another marquee event for the school system the following spring, the annual Prayer Breakfast. Of the two events, the Prayer Breakfast is a more formal opportunity for donors to sit and truly take in a video (Gladhander is a far more upbeat and frenetic event that often has people socializing throughout the video presentation).
GTACS wanted to highlight an effort at Immaculate Conception Elementary School that had finally come to fruition after several years of planning: The introduction of a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. The CGS program is part of the many ways that GTACS is aiming to strengthen its Catholic identity throughout all levels of the school system, and it was my pleasure to produce this short video about the effort.