The year was 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most recognizable speeches in American history. His "I Have a Dream" speech would be projected to over a hundred thousand supporters, documented to live on for years to come. But the location wasn’t Washington D.C. The March on Washington wouldn’t happen for another 2 months.
The location was Detroit.
50 years later, I took inspiration from this event to document how the dream has evolved in Detroit. Born in city limits (same hospital as Aaron Draplin!) and living here all my life, I knew the pride, the grit, the dreams we have.
And so, I set out to curate a list of interviewees from some of the most notable locations around the city. Business owners, historians, art curators, and genuine personalities were sought out, locations scouted, and interviews scheduled.
One week later, I was back. Cameras & lighting in hand, interview skills at the ready, I asked questions about the past and present of the Motor City, before finding the hardest-hitting responses in what their dreams are today.
Managing timelines & schedules, I was producer, videographer, editor, and storyteller. I walked around the city, garnering b-roll on a very overcast spring day. In the edit, I toiled over the flow, telling the story, pulling on the string of great content as the short documentary came together, and was ready for the spotlight.
Entered in the 2014 MSU Media Sandbox Challenge, the documentary won the grand prize, and was played to an entire room of media graduates and leaders in an alumni awards ceremony.
From there, the documentary went on to film festivals around the country, winning awards. From Lansing and Portland, to Frankenmuth and Los Angeles, my video was even featured in a local National Geographic exhibit on Detroit, and broadcast through the airwaves on a PBS station.
D is for Dream played at the Traverse City Film Festival in 2014 as part of the student exhibit. Afterwards in a panel, director Michael Moore would go on to praise both UM and MSU entrants, but proclaim “but how about those MSU students’ videos,” encouraging applause. I knew, in part, he was talking about my work.
