Community Health Network Foundation — Giving Gig 2026 "Why We Are Here" Video

Background

The Giving Gig is an annual fundraiser hosted by the Community Health Network Foundation. All money raised go towards the Oncology Patient Assistance Fund, which helps support patients’ access to food, medicine, transportation, and more as they undergo treatment. Beginning in 2025 and continuing into 2026, MKR designed and executed a full suite of materials for Giving Gig, including a new logo and visual identity, on-site signage, promotional ads, photography, video, social media content, and a music video.

As part of the 2026 Giving Gig, I had the privilege of editing “Why We Are Here,” a video played to the 1,000+ donors, guests, and hero patients present at the event. This video explains what the Giving Gig is all about: showing up for and supporting patients receiving treatment from Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center. The oncology patient assistance fund helps provide patients and their families a sense of stability during a time in their lives where everything else feels uncertain. It is the goal of this video to center the patient experience, contextualize the reason for gathering at this event, and communicate the importance of supporting such a meaningful cause.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Oversaw recording of interview and b-roll throughout production, ensuring third-party production team captured all necessary content within the allotted timeframe

  • Coordinated with DP on footage transfer to external hard drive

  • Edited concise, compelling video under guidance of MKR Vice President of Production Sam Hanover and Creative Director Michael Griffith

  • Coordinated approval process with interview subject LaToya Toliver, LCSW, and client, as well as transfer of final file to event team

The Final Product

Wisconsin Homeless Veterans Initiative Production

Background

As Associate Producer at MKR, I was lucky enough to lead a video production for one of our pro bono clients, the Wisconsin Homeless Veterans Initiative (WHVI) in October, 2025. This production was part of a larger rebrand for the organization, which was previously known as the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative (MHVI). The goal of this project was two-fold: 1) to reach a wider audience of veterans across the state who could benefit from the organization’s resources, and 2) to garner additional awareness and support from prospective donors looking to support a meaningful cause.

Pre-Production

Pre-production began with many fruitful conversations with Executive Director of WHVI Debbie Buchanan to align on a common goal and scope for this project. Veteran stories emerged as central to our creative direction and, more specifically, how WHVI changed veterans’ lives for the better. With support from Debbie and her amazing team of social workers, we connected with four veterans who were generous enough to share their time and stories with us: Crystal, Jamira, Charles, and Lee.

Given the sensitive nature of these folks’ stories, it was crucial that our production team intentionally take steps to ensure they felt comfortable from the early stages of pre-production all the way to production wrap. With this in mind, we coordinated brief pre-interviews with each of the veterans in the weeks leading up to production. These pre-interviews allowed us to introduce our team, share interview questions with the veterans, chat through any pertinent production logistics, and above all, set a relaxed tone for the entire production process.

Production

Production for this project was a fast, furious, and fulfilling three days with a small but mighty production team. I served as Producer and B-cam operator, while my colleagues Justin Pyles and Graham Chaney served as Director of Photography and Interviewer, respectively.

Justin and I traveled up to Milwaukee on a Wednesday morning and returned to Indianapolis Friday evening. Our first day was spent driving north, scouting the WHVI headquarters with Graham, and collecting b-roll of the larger Milwaukee area. We spent the following two days capturing interviews and b-roll with Debbie and each of the veterans, plus textural shots of WHVI headquarters. We finished the week with nearly 400 GB of footage and a lot of ideas around how to best share the WHVI story with the wider Wisconsin community. Debbie and her team couldn’t have been lovelier to work with, and it was an honor to hear firsthand accounts of how Jamira, Charles, Crystal, and Lee connected with the wonderful organization that WHVI is.

Post-Production

In addition to producing this video for WHVI, I had the privilege of editing the finished product together. I spent several weeks organizing and getting to know the footage so I could carve out a meaningful story that accomplished all of WHVI’s goals. With guidance from my boss Sam Hanover, Vice President of Production at MKR, and Creative Director Michael Griffith — not to mention final approval from Debbie and her team — we arrived at a video that communicates how WHVI advocates for the local veteran community and why it’s a cause worthy of support.

Behind the Scenes

Community Health Network — 2025 MD Anderson Cancer Center Campaign Production

Background

Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center combines the expertise of MD Anderson with the attentive local care of Community to provide state-of-the-art treatment for oncology patients. Each year, MKR Agency partners with Community MD Anderson to tell real patient stories across video, print, OOH, and digital mediums. Our goal is to communicate that Community’s care team is a consistent source of support and stability for patients and their loved ones when everything else feels uncertain.

Role and Responsibilities

Associate Producer, MKR

  • Coordinated wardrobe, location, and scheduling with patient subjects for all interview and b-roll footage capture

  • Managed location, scheduling, and other production logistics with third-party production company, ensuring we did not go overtime

  • Collaborated with client to schedule footage capture with 30+ caregivers on Community Health Network campus across 5 days

  • Partnered with third-party editor throughout post-production process to ensure timely delivery of assets for multiple rounds of internal and client feedback; and brand voice and quality standards

Janillia’s Story

Byron’s Story

Jessica’s Story

Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center Partnership Story

Community Health Network — 2025 Brand Campaign Production

Role and Responsibilities

Associate Producer, MKR

  • Coordinated wardrobe, location, and scheduling with patient subjects for all interview and b-roll footage capture

  • Managed location, scheduling, and other production logistics with third-party videographer

  • Collaborated with client to schedule footage capture on Community Health Network campus with caregivers

  • Partnered with local composer to create a unique track for this campaign that aligned with brand voice and campaign messaging

  • Scheduled and sat in on live editing sessions with third-party video editor; provided feedback to ensure alignment with client messaging goals

The Final Product

Community Health Network — 2025 Pregnancy Campaign Production

Role and Responsibilities

Associate Producer, MKR

  • Collaborated with Community Health Network team to coordinate pre-interview with patient subject Brittany as a way to introduce our team, familiarize her with the interview questions, and most importantly, ensure her comfortability throughout the production process

  • Coordinated wardrobe, location, and scheduling details with client, patient family, and third-party videographer for all interview and b-roll footage capture

  • Edited video in accordance with client scope and goals, namely: 1) communicating the personalized care with which Community Health Network treats their patients, 2) highlighting Community’s NICU, which is uniquely in the same building as their maternity suites, and 3) helping Brittany to tell her story with the respect and sensitivity it deserves

  • Transformed longform video into several 30- and 15-second cutdowns and resizes optimized for trafficking across social media channels; captioned for accessibility

The Final Product

Community Health Network — 2024 MD Anderson Cancer Center Campaign Production

Background

Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center combines the expertise of MD Anderson with the attentive local care of Community to provide state-of-the-art treatment for oncology patients. Each year, MKR Agency partners with Community MD Anderson to tell real patient stories across video, print, OOH, and digital mediums. Our goal is to communicate that Community’s care team is a consistent source of support and stability for patients and their loved ones when everything else feels uncertain.

Role and Responsibilities

Associate Producer, MKR

  • Coordinated wardrobe, location, and scheduling with patient subjects for all interview and b-roll footage capture

  • Managed location, scheduling, and other production logistics with third-party production company, ensuring we did not go overtime

  • Collaborated with client to schedule footage capture with 30+ caregivers on Community Health Network campus across 5 days

  • Partnered with third-party editor throughout post-production process to ensure timely delivery of assets for multiple rounds of internal and client feedback; and brand voice and quality standards

The Final Product: Sara’s Story

The Final Product: John and Gayle’s Story

Bielinski Homes Built for Life Campaign Production

Role and Responsibilities

Associate Producer, MKR

  • Collaborated with client and MKR team to scout VO and acting talent

  • Coordinated all production logistics — i.e., location, scheduling, tech and location scouts, wardrobe, craft services, etc. — with client, hired talent, and third-party production team

  • Managed timeline throughout day of production to avoid overtime hours

  • Ensured that all deliverables — video, photography, and radio spots — met quality standards set by MKR and expectations set by client

  • Edited two 15-second TV spots — “Built for Foodies” and “Built for Family” — in accordance with client goals and scope of project

Final Product