video

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: casting, field producing, interviewing

Even the insiders are fed up with Washington. To understand why, NYT Opinion Video put the same eight questions to House and Senate members in both parties who are on the way out, looking for patterns and prescriptions to get a handle on the place. Corruption, money, perks, frustrations, solutions.

As the producer, I cast and scheduled all 12 participating Congress members — and interviewed them in Washington D.C.

I talked about the project on TV and on the radio.

Video interactive and stub article
NYT newsletter I wrote about the project
Excerpts of my interviews in NYT Opinion print

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: pre-interviewing, (remote) field directing and producing

For two weeks, Dr. Samer Attar, an American surgeon, volunteered at local hospitals in Gaza. He was part of the first convoy of international doctors to embed in the north. He filmed video diaries throughout his trip, documenting the struggle among Palestinian medical workers to save lives amid extreme supply shortages.

I pre-interviewed Samer multiple times before and after his trip. Before he left, I traveled to his home in Chicago to train him on shooting video. I stayed in touch with him via WhatsApp during his trip, providing instructions and feedback on the footage he shot — and reviewing all 10+ hours of it after he returned. I also conducted additional reporting and research.​

Video and stub article

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: casting, interviewing, scripting, archival research

A lot of people have recently weighed in on legacy admissions, the preferential treatment given to the children of alumni in the college application process: President Biden. Members of Congress. Supreme Court justices. But what about the legacy students themselves? Five shared their take on the issue.

I cast and pre-interviewed all of the subjects; helped our DP Emily Holzknecht with setting up our studio; conducted all the on-camera interviews; wrote the script with Alex Stockton; and found all the archival footage.​

Video and stub article
NYT newsletter I wrote about the video

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: casting, scripting, archival research

Amid an enormous societal push to destigmatize mental illness, young people have been flooded with mental health information on social media and elsewhere. But much of it is unreliable and counterproductive. Is it possible all this mental health awareness is making young people feel worse?

I pitched this video idea based on my own observations on social media. I then cast academic psychologist Dr. Lucy Foulkes, who has been reaching this issue for years, and pre-interviewed her to conceptualize the argument. Adam Westbrook and I wrote the script with her. And I found all the visual assets, including TikToks, advertisements, and PSAs.

Video and stub article
NYT newsletter I wrote about the video

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: interviewing, editing, archival research

“The U.S. bombings that ended World War II didn’t mark the close of atomic warfare. They were just the beginning. From 1945 to 2017, nuclear nations carried out more than 2,000 explosive tests in the atmosphere, underground and underwater, mostly in remote places,” W.J. Hennigan wrote in a NYT Opinion interactive. “Some of the atmospheric tests were magnitudes more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japan, sickening and displacing thousands.”

In video interviews I conducted, the descendants of survivors described the fallout they and their families have continued to endure as a result of the tests. Those interviews were featured in the interactive and the linear video I produced and edited.

Video interactive

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: post production, editing

We often measure the tragedy of war in the suffering of children, but rarely do we hear from them. In 2021, filmmakers asked Palestinian children in Gaza about their dreams for the future. I discovered these interviews through Jordanian filmmaker Mohannad Abu Rizk's TikTok, then reached out to his team to propose a video juxtaposing these interviews (the children's dreams) with present-day footage of Israel's attacks in Gaza and the aftermath (the nightmare they're living).

As post producer and editor, I conceptualized the video, sourced the interview footage from the filmmakers, selected and pulled 2023 war footage, then edited the video with Jonah Kessel.​

Video and stub article

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: archival research, editing

Sophomoric insults. Rudeness. Personal attacks. Cross talk. These have become the defining features of American political debates these days. But things haven't always been this way. Before Donald Trump changed the rules of the game — and debate rules literally changed, civility once had a place in the political forum, this video argues.

As the video's producer, I interviewed multiple presidential debate historians and watched way, way too many presidential debates (across six decades) to select and pull all the archival footage. Then I edited the video with Jonah Kessel.

Video and stub article
YouTube Short I edited (~2 million views)

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: interviewing, field producing, archival research

When you're pregnant, there's plenty to worry about. Your baby. Your own health. And then there's the pregnancy police: strangers who judge pregnant women for all of their choices, such as drinking coffee, eating dairy, and even exercising. This is exactly what the elite distance runner Stephanie Bruce discovered while pregnant with her third child. But as she shares in this video, she knows her body best. How she treats it is her choice alone.

As the field producer, I traveled to Flagstaff, AZ to interview Stephanie and work with our DP Elliot DeBruyn to shoot b-roll. I also found all the archival sound for the video.

Video and stub article

THE NEW YORK TIMES

roles: archival research, post production

In the decades-long effort to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, the "two-state solution" has seemed like the least flawed among many imperfect ideas. It's become official policy of most governments around the world and the basis for peace talks. But as this Opinion video shows, it has also become one of the most hollowed-out phrases in the Middle East — or anywhere. For all the shuttle diplomacy, summits and on-the-verge-of-success pronouncements, the goal remains frustratingly distant and, for many, dead.

As producer, I researched the two-state solution's history to find the video's archival footage and worked with video editor Adam Westbrook to conceptualize the final piece.

Video and stub article

GOOD MORNING AMERICA

roles: casting, field producing, shooting, interviewing, editing

Danielle Boyer founded her nonprofit The STEAM Connection to provide technical and cultural educational opportunities among Native American communities, combining both in the form of robots that teach Indigenous languages.

I spent an afternoon with Danielle, interviewing her about her inventions and work at The STEAM Connection, as well as shooting footage of her demonstrating her robots. We also took a trip to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian where Danielle showed me some of her community's exhibits.

Video I produced, shot, and edited

GOOD MORNING AMERICA

roles: casting, field producing, interviewing, scripting

A study conducted by the National Center For Education Statistics showed test scores in math and reading hit new lows after the pandemic. I spoke with one family, fourth grader Yara Valerio and her mother Emma Mercado, about these results, their experiences with remote learning, and their hopes for the next school year.

I took the lead on producing this segment. I booked the interviews with Emma Mercado, Yara Valerio, and Reading Partners CEO Adeola Whitney, then traveled to NYC to field produce the story, directing the crew in shooting b-roll of Yara's first day of fourth grade and also conducting the in-person interviews with Yara, Emma, and Adeola. I also worked on writing the script.

Video and accompanying article I wrote

ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE​

roles: casting, producing

Minneapolis public school teachers negotiated a new contract after a strike, which includes a hiring policy that protects underrepresented groups during layoffs.

​I did the initial legwork on this segment for ABC News Nightline, which originated from my digital article.

My contributions included booking guests, collecting elements and reportable editorial, and helping with producing the in-person studio interviews.

Nightline segment
Digital article I wrote

GOOD MORNING AMERICA​

roles: casting, interviewing, (remote) field producing

Pastor Michael Jennings, 56, was arrested by local police while watering plants for an out-of-town neighbor.

I took the lead on producing this segment. I booked the exclusive interviews with Pastor Jennings and his attorney Harry Daniels (making ABC News the first outlet to interview Jennings since the bodycam footage release). I also coordinated the camera crew sent to shoot the in-person interview at Jennings' home and remotely conducted the interview with Jennings and Daniels over Zoom. I also obtained the body camera footage featured in the package.

Video and accompanying article I wrote

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

roles: editing, interviewing, (remote) field producing

Harvard College announced all undergraduate classes in fall 2020 would be taught virtually, inviting a limited number of students to spend the fall semester in residence. Those invited to return began trickling into campus late August, arriving at pre-assigned times staggered over the course of a week.

During that week, I reached out to several students living at Harvard in the fall to interview them and guide them through filming different aspects of their lives—from traveling to Boston to concluding their mandated quarantine period. Throughout the process, I regularly checked in with the students to provide further instructions and updated shot lists. I pitched, remotely produced, and edited the entire video.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

roles: editing, interviewing, (remote) field producing

After Harvard sent students home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on campus, the Class of 2020 lost innumerable traditions, farewells, and last memories of places and people.

However, in the weeks leading up to their online graduation, seniors reimagined the quintessential senior spring experience, trading spring break trips for service projects, final sports seasons for at-home gyms, and stage performances for virtual fans.

I asked several of them to share videos of how they spent the last few months. I guided them through recording the videos from afar and remotely produced and edited this final product in its entirety.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

roles: shooting, editing, interviewing

When the Science Center Plaza first opened in 2013, there were only five food trucks. Today, there are a total of 20 trucks that serve food in the space throughout the week. I interviewed several of the vendors that frequent the plaza to hear what it's like running a food truck at Harvard.

CHINESE SCHOOL: A DOCUMENTARY

Chinese schools are a nexus of Chinese community life in the U.S., offering childcare services, language and cultural enrichment, as well as academic support. Through an array of curricula, and programming, these schools strive to simultaneously prepare Chinese American children for success in American society while cultivating their connection to Chinese heritage.

A mosaic of vignettes capturing quotidian life at Kwong Kow Chinese School in Boston Chinatown, this verité documentary offers a glimpse into how the institution both shapes and symbolizes the identities of its students.

I directed, shot, and edited this film for my 2021 college course "The Art of Community-Based Filmmaking."