Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

A month before their Dallas gala, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation needed a film that could move a ballroom full of donors past polite applause and into real commitment.

MY TASK: Deliver a short film (under 10 minutes) that would be the emotional centerpiece of their fundraising event, something that didn't just inform, but compelled action.

ACTION: I threw out the traditional script format entirely. Instead of writing a voiceover and finding footage to match, I got on the phone with families affected by CF and asked the questions no one asks at galas. By morning, I had the architecture: no voiceover, no narrator,  just their words and their silences. The call to action wasn't a title card. It was embedded in the structure of the film itself, letting the emotions of the story do the work.

RESULT: The final film ran 8 minutes and 40 seconds. The gala hit its fundraising target, and the film was distributed to the foundation's entire donor list. That year, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation reported $135.6 million in total revenue. Mark Cuban, who was in attendance, told me the film was "eye-opening." The American Heart Association saw the work and hired me to create a promotional film for their 5K run, which performed well on their social channels.