Mornings in the Mountains

News 13 morning image promotion. Produced by Katie Damien. This promo highlights the unique, unpredictable nature of mornings in western North Carolina with custom drone footage from drone pilot Ben Avivi of A66 Aerial, scenic vistas and the occasional frustrating traffic.

Blue Ridge Rescue Barn Video

Thank you to the  Blue Ridge Rescue Barn for inviting me to produce this video! It's a magical place where compassion, second chances, and hard work come together to create something truly special for the rescued animals that call it home.

find them at:www.blueridgerescuebarn.org

Compass Point - Short Documentary

I spent a year in 2023-2024 following three homeless individuals as they moved from a life outside into new supportive housing. The result is this short documentary called Compass Point. This project was made possible by Homeward Bound, a non-profit in Asheville that finds permanent housing for the homeless. If you want to learn more about the incredible work they do visit: https://homewardboundwnc.org

 

Rebuilding Brother Wolf PSA

New PSA for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. Learn more at: bwar.org

 

Christmas Markets in Germany

My latest assignment with Sisterhood travels is one I've been looking forward to for over a year: a river cruise through the Christmas Markets in Germany! And if that weren't enough, I had days in Prague before joining the ship. Prague was cold and wet, but the city has a beautiful Gothic character that suited the chilly weather. There were multiple Christmas markets in squares around the city, full of trees, shops and lights. And there is nothing like a hot mulled wine to drive away the cold!

After driving through the Czech countryside we joined our ship the Avalon Tranquility II in Nuremberg on the Main river (pronounced Mine.) The whole trip had gray weather with cloudy skies, save for a few minutes of reprieve when the sun peaked out one day of the week long journey. Wurzburg and Rothenburg were magnificent cities to visit. I had been to the medieval town of Rothenburg 20 years ago on my first European adventure and it hasn’t changed. I didn’t know the Camino pilgrimage trail went through Germany until I stumbled upon the shell symbols marking it. One day I'd like to do the longer trek through France, Spain and Portugal.

Nuremberg and Bamberg were two picturesque German towns with lovely Christmas Markets. I started a collection of mugs. Each city had its own cute mug filled with hot, mulled wine.

Lastly, Miltenberg was the perfect town to wrap up this amazing river cruise. A short hike to a higher elevation lead to breathtaking views of the Main River/Canal. Our trip ended in Frankfurt, but I only caught glimpses of the bustling city as I was whisked to the airport to catch an early flight home. What a beautiful adventure. I would happily do it all over again.

 

Dubai and the Maldives

I just got back from a trip to Dubai and the Maldives! I'm so lucky to have the best travel gigs with Sisterhood Travels capturing video footage of all the highlights with a fun group of ladies. The desert in Dubai was awesome and Arabic Coffee is delicious. There were not super cars everywhere, but you could definitely feel the opulent wealth of the place. They have to desalinate ocean water to drink and our guide said that at one point water was as expensive as gas. 

The Maldives are a tropical paradise, but honestly you could go to the Caribbean for a similar experience and skip the 26 hours of travel time it takes to get all the way over there! Still the natural beauty is something to see and I loved the giant fruit bats that would glide around the tree tops every evening. I snorkeled a bunch and every time it felt like I was swimming in a tropical fish tank!

Emmy for Best PSA Campaign!

 I just won an Emmy award for best PSA campaign for Literacy Together.

You can watch a video of the whole campaign here: https://vimeo.com/699220793

Scotland!

Scotland has been on my travel bucket list for a very long time and I finally had the chance to go when I booked a gig shooting video for a travel company.  Sisterhood Travels knows how to plan a really great adventure.  Here is a video with just some of the highlights from this amazing trip! https://vimeo.com/744758524

 

Homeward Bound PSA 2022

I was lucky enough to work with some great talent on this shoot!  We had some difficult roles for our actors and they were all preformed with skill and respect.  Props to my makeup artist Doll Box Productions for doing some fantastic work. https://vimeo.com/699574932

 

Literacy Council Videos

I produced a few videos for Literacy Now, formerly the literacy council of Buncombe County.  They do so many great things for the community.  Here is one video highlighting 4 of their programs: https://vimeo.com/699220793

 

Brother Wolf PSA for 2022

 https://vimeo.com/676421610/8343c83357

 

"Work" a Very Short Film

This film was made for a 10 second film contest: https://vimeo.com/640166376

Why do we toil so long and hard at work, spending most of our time in a miserable cycle? There is so much more to life. Made for the Asheville 10 second film contest.

Homeward Bound PSA

For 2021 I produced a 1 minute PSA I made for Homeward Bound:

https://vimeo.com/568665533

Here is a link to the longer documentary "Invisible" I also produced for Homeward Bound, from which we pulled the PSA footage: https://vimeo.com/538876421

Willow Hill Soap Commerical

 I had the pleasure of producing this beautiful commercial in downtown Canton at Willow Hill Soap Company. https://vimeo.com/656242069

 

Housing is Healthcare Documentary

I recently produced a short documentary for an amazingly wonderful non-profit: Homeward Bound.  They work to permanently end homelessness.  Homeward Bound does such important work, especially now with the Covid-19 pandemic raging across our country.  How can you stay healthy and escape the crowds of people, if you don't have a home to go to?  If you do get sick, how can you recover, if you don't have a safe place to rest and heal?  You can watch this informative and hopeful look at a group of people dedicated to solving these problems.

PSA: Together WNC

 Being locked down has been tough, but the constant, low-grade dread looming feels even more imposing. At a time like this I like to look for the helpers as Mr. Rogers said.  And we have them in Western North Carolina.  I'm so proud of how our community has come together to help eachother.

https://vimeo.com/656253260

 

One Hell of an Angel at Sick Chicks Flicks Film Festival

One Hell of an Angel not only had a great screening at the Sick Chicks Flicks Film Festival in Cary, NC we also won best feature film!  They call the awards the blood ravens.  What an honor!  I could feel a genuine love for independent film from everyone involved.  I had such a blast at this festival!

 

Hope at the Charlotte Film Festival

Hope had a great screening at the Charlotte Film Festival!  The quality was professional level, Hope looked so crisp on the big screen. The food and drinks they provided filmmakers were plentiful and delicious. Sharon and Alison were able to join me for the screening.  I got to meet up with Trinity, my incredibly talented composer for my upcoming short "Saving Jake."  I hope to be back with my next film next year!

Hope Reviewed

Hope got a great review on Film Threat! 7 out of 10.

"It is powerful"

https://filmthreat.com/reviews/hope-2019

By Chris Salce | July 29, 2019

The suicide rates in America have been growing year by year. Suicide is currently the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. It is a growing epidemic that is hard to understand, and it is hard to control how often it happens. There are many hotlines and counseling services available if one feels the need to harm oneself, but it is not always easy to ask for help. Hope is a film that may help someone who has felt lost or needs help.

Based on a true story, Hope (Emily Tynan McDaniel) is a widowed single mother who is suffering from depression after losing her husband. Hope feels that her son would be better off without her. After an attempted suicide, Hope is taken to a mental facility where she will stay for some time. Once she gets out of the mental facility, she is homeless and has lost custody of her son. Hope struggles to get her life back on track but uses her son as motivation to pick herself up from rock bottom.

“After an attempted suicide, Hope is taken to a mental facility… Once she gets out, she is homeless and has lost custody of her son.”

The short film tells a very real story in a matter of roughly twelve and a half minutes. It does this by displaying quite real and sometimes graphic scenes and gets through the rest with montages. The montages are necessary to help the film move forward in a timely manner. Even though half of the film is done through montages, it is a film that has a lot of emotion.
McDaniel, who plays the lead, does a great job at making her character seem real. It is based on a real person, but that person wishes to remain anonymous (as it is later mentioned just before the credits). The name of the character is the title of the film–and it is quite clear why writer and director, Katie Damien, chose the name.
Hope is a very real film. It is powerful because the subject hits home for quite a few of us. Most of us have known someone that has either hit rock bottom or attempted–or died of– suicide. This film is meant to bring hope to those who feel lost. The short film does also feel almost like an ad or promotional video for Homeward Bound, which is a homeless shelter. In this way, not only does it tell a story about the fall and rise of a woman, but it also lets others know that there is a program that can help them if needed.

Saving Jake at RAD

Behind the scenes on the short "Saving Jake" in the River Arts District. I love this graffiti building! I feel so lucky to have been able to shoot a scene at this gem of a location.  When you're working with a great team, magic happens and these scenes were magic.