Storyhunter Staff Picks: July 2020
After another month of impressive work, we’re happy to present the Storyhunter Staff Picks for July 2020. This collection of videos is a fantastic representation of everything that our community creates every month. We have the stories of underrepresented populations, world-class motion graphics, cultural staples from the smallest corners of the world, adorable branded content, and much more. Congratulations to everyone who worked on these videos. We’re looking forward to seeing what you all bring us through the rest of August.
What It’s Like Being Undocumented During COVID-19
AJ+ // Valerio Ciriaci (New York, NY, USA)
AJ+ was in need of a freelancer who could film and produce a short documentary showing what life is like for undocumented immigrants during this pandemic. They decided to hire Valerio Ciriaci, who worked for them in a similar role back in April, on a video about living in NYC while it was the pandemic’s epicenter. In both documentaries, Valerio did an outstanding job of building trust with the characters, and subsequently captured some powerful interviews.
You can check out Valerio’s Storyhunter profile here, to see some of the other work he’s done with clients like Zillow and NBC Universal.
Qualified Immunity: Origins of a Police Liability Shield
Bloomberg Industry Group // Virginia Gilles (Manchester, United Kingdom)
Bloomberg Industry Group works in collaboration with Storyhunter Studios, our in-house production company, to create explainer videos about complicated and relevant topics. They hired motion graphics designer Virginia Gilles to create animations that could help depict the origins and meaning of “qualified immunity”. In addition to the multiple brands within Bloomberg Industry Group, her portfolio has motion graphics that she’s created for BBC Reel, New York Post, and the Manchester International Festival. See the rest of her past work on her Storyhunter profile.
The Simple Stress-Buster That Could Change Your Life
BBC Reel // Dirceu Neto (São Paulo, Brazil)
BBC Reel posted a Call for Pitches, in search of story ideas that can help people better deal with their emotions. With the pandemic still raging on, the importance of self-care cannot be overstated. Brazilian filmmaker Dirceu Neto wrote to them and told them about Laughter Yoga, recommended a character, and explained how he’d take precautions relating to the coronavirus. They gave this Dirceu the green light and he went on to create this spectacular video explaining how and why laughter yoga actually works. Take a moment to try out laughter yoga, and check out Dirceu’s Storyhunter profile, where some of his past work for AJ+, Underknown, and DOGTV.
H-E-B — National Ice Cream Day
Hearst Television // Subject Pictures (Dallas, TX, USA), Bryan Kerr (New York, NY, USA)
In case you missed National Ice Cream Day on July 19th, it’s not too late to celebrate with this video from Hearst Television! Hearst collaborates with freelancers in our global community to create video content for their clients, which includes brands like H-E-B, who wanted to film some adorable taste testing sessions of their Creamy Creations ice cream. Hearst hired Dallas-based production company Subject Pictures to film the taste testings, and freelance editor Bryan Kerr to piece together their footage. This was the 25th time that Hearst worked with Subject Pictures, and the 12th time they did with Bryan. Hearst delivered the minute long piece we’ve linked below, as well as a shorter edit of the taste testing. Click here to check out Bryan’s and Subject Pictures’ Storyhunter profiles.
Making ‘Dirty Noodles’ The Traditional Way
Great Big Story // Anita Reza Zein (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Having a global community of freelancers, we’re privileged to learn about so many unique aspects of different cultures around the world. For this video, Great Big Story hired Anita Reza Zein, an Indonesian freelance filmmaker, to teach us about ‘Dirty Noodles’ and the man who carries on his grandfather’s legacy by making them. Anita has completed 15 projects with 13 different clients on Storyhunter, including Instagram, National Geographic and Business Insider, but she told us why this one in particular is so meaningful. “Yasir continues what his grandfather started, and that’s that this business exists for a social purpose, not a financial one. Yasir works together with people from the nearby village, so they can have a job and are able to afford food,” Anita said.
Click here to view Anita’s Storyhunter profile.
Protests in Portland Rage On
Bloomberg QuickTake // Lucas Mullikin (Flagstaff, AZ, USA)
QuickTake put up an urgent posting on Storyhunter looking for a video journalist who could go document the protests in Portland, Oregon, as federal officers made their ways into the city. Lucas Millikin, who has now worked with QuickTake five times, applied almost immediately. Recently surpassing 50 projects on Storyhunter, Lucas has worked with 23 different clients on Storyhunter including Thrillist, Dow Jones and The Weather Channel. For this short video, Lucas managed to capture candid and genuine interviews in a tense environment. Check out his impressive portfolio on his Storyhunter profile.
By Jake Watkins, Head of Stories
