“The First Noel”
In 2021, the world was starting to come out of the dreaded COVID times, and to celebrate that I decided to pitch the idea of a musical extravaganza for Christmas. This project involved our four diocesan high schools, each of whom provided singers and instrumentalists for the project. I chose the music, storyboarded the video, directed the production, recorded the audio, created the rough mix of the music, and edited the final product.
AWARDS WON
Catholic Media Association Awards 2022 - 1st Place, Best Diocesan Pastoral Message
Similar projects:
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"Silent Night" - Diocese of Lansing Christmas Video
For Christmas 2023 with the Diocese of Lansing, I created my third (of three) musical video projects - highlighting the musical talents of students from our four diocesan high schools as well as telling a story about the “Silent Night” hymn and Eucharistic adoration. It was envisioned as part of the National Eucharistic Revival, and was the first time in the Diocese’s history that all four diocesan high schools were gathered together to perform a musical piece.
I recorded all of the singers and did the rough mix myself (including playing the orchestral parts), then used the help of two local freelancers to assist in filming the singers at Saint Mary Cathedral in downtown Lansing. I concepted and storyboarded the “B-story,” which was intended to signify how exposure to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament slowly fills our lives with grace (or, in this case, color). I filmed with the actress at various locations in Adrian, Michigan, including at Siena Heights University. The final audio mix was mastered by Carter Green at Greenjeans Studios.
The project received well over 20,000 views on YouTube and diocesan social media platforms, and attracted the attention of the National Catholic Register, which interviewed me about the project.
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"God, at the Pentagon" 9/11 Anniversary Documentary
Because of the Diocese of Arlington's unique geographic location adjacent to the nation's capital, the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in 2021 was a major occasion for the Diocese to commemorate. The terrorist attack at the Pentagon happened within our Diocese, and many parishioners still bear first-hand memories of that day.
I pitched the idea for, directed, filmed, edited, and interviewed the subjects for this short, inspiring documentary film, which was completed in partnership with multimedia producer Jim Salitsky. We told both the stories of priestly heroics on that day as well as the power of our Catholic faith in the face of tragedy. Using historical records and news articles, we were able to source subjects and capture the story of how one “moves forward” without “moving on” from loved ones. This project also involved complicated logistics managing permissions to film on government installations (The Pentagon) during COVID times.
The video received widespread attention and mentions in outlets including Aleteia and EWTN. I was interviewed by Teresa Tomeo on Ave Maria Radio Network about my experiences producing the film. The film was recognized as a 1st-place award-winner in multiple categories by the Catholic Media Association.