Documentary style films come in all shapes and sizes…

My MA project is a documentary/BTS media project capturing the journey of building an independent Christian live talk show studio from the ground up. This story will journey through four phases being the foundation/planning, community fundraising, becoming fund-ready, securing resources, and ultimately securing a location, strategic partnerships, and establishing the brick-and-mortar. This documentary will capture the realities behind the vision and what it takes to build something that keeps you up at night. It will also explore why the selected location matters by examining my relationship to the Bronx, the history of media and television in the Bronx, and the evolution, history & presence of Christian media within that borough. Through interviews with advisors, stakeholders, collaborators, and community members, the project will explore the purpose, people, history, and community behind this non-traditional media initiative.

Two MA showcase projects that inform my work are Jacqueline Minnis’s More to Me (2022) and Amber Douglas’s Color Coded (2021). Minnis’s documentary explores adoption, identity, and Asian representation through the experiences of Chinese American adoptees, examining how media representation can influence identity and self-perception (Minnis, 2022). Douglas’s documentary examines the representation and perception of Black women, incorporating interviews with approximately 25 women and emphasizing narratives that move beyond trauma and struggle (Douglas, 2021). Both projects connect to my work through their documentary format, use of interviews, and exploration of identity, culture, representation, and the roots of a larger story. However, my project differs because it focuses primarily on the behind-the-scenes process of building an independent media platform. These projects demonstrate how documentary storytelling can preserve lived experiences while examining the cultural and media forces that shape them. They also encourage me to consider how the people, history, and community surrounding my project can become central elements of the story and not just background to the construction of a studio. Yes, I want to showcase the process of building, but with the people it will ultimately impact!