Case Study: Joyce James Consulting “Building Bridges, Removing Barriers” Summit Video Production
As a regular practice, Connecting Our Stories team members offer reflections about our completed projects. We believe sharing our insights about bringing stories to life not only helps us improve and grow, but benefits the entire field and our collective storytelling work.
By: Charlotte Moore, Creative Consultant
Project Goal
Joyce James is an Austin-based, nationally renowned racial equity consultant whose decades of work has prompted legislative change across Texas, illuminated the negative impacts of systemic and institutional racism, and positively enriched the lived experiences of countless people.
In 2024, Ms. James launched the annual "Building Bridges, Removing Barriers" summit, convening social workers and equity leaders from across the U.S. to devise effective strategies for bridging social divides, removing systemic barriers, and building pathways to opportunity and equity for all children, youth, families, and communities. Connecting Our Stories (COS) was so moved by Ms. James' vision that we offered to serve as a media sponsor, shooting video and conducting recorded interviews with several notable leaders in attendance. Ms. James later engaged our team to weave that footage together to tell the story of the summit. We were honored to support her in the following ways:
Conducting recorded interviews with several notable leaders, including Huston-Tillotson University president Dr. Melva K. Wallace
Capturing video of key moments throughout the event
Producing a series of edited videos following the summit
Ahead of the summit, the Connecting our Stories team conducted an on-camera conversation between Joyce James (left) and Dr. Melva K. Wallace, president of Huston-Tillotson University. Photo: Anne Bannister
Our Approach
Joyce James represented a distinct type of ideal COS client—an entrepreneur and consultant who invests a great deal of time and energy broadcasting a message designed to address a proven problem impacting an underserved community. COS creative consultant Charlotte Moore had worked with Ms. James for years, providing writing, videography, and social media management services. Given this history, we understood that while Ms. James is masterful at communicating data and impact, for her summit she needed a team of professional storytellers to help with content creation.
We familiarized ourselves with the themes, agenda, and program, and worked with Ms. James to identify the key moments to capture and the individuals to interview. COS representatives were present both days of the summit—not only to capture footage, but to be part of the experience.
In the weeks following the summit, we produced a 4-minute video with footage from three camera angles reflecting the summit experience, the caliber of community leaders gathered, and the urgency of this work. In addition, we produced four shorter social media videos (vertical and horizontal) featuring either an individual highlight or a mix of voices centered on a unifying theme.
Produced by Charlotte Moore & Lauren Cook | Edited by Anne Bannister | Cinematography by Anne Bannister, Charlotte Moore, & Corey Hopkins
The Results
While we treasure building client relationships over time, we are also skilled videographers and photographers adept at jobs that require a fast turnaround. This is the service we provided for Ms. James—compelling videos that can live on her website as a testament to the power of her "Building Bridges, Removing Barriers" summit. The videos can be screened at equity workshops, shared by the many influential leaders who see themselves in the footage, and presented to potential sponsors or donors interested in investing in future summits. The social media videos we delivered were distinct and touched on a variety of themes including praise and appreciation for Ms. James, her mentorship, and her commitment to her work, enthusiasm around the summit, and reflections on why this summit is necessary.
Produced by Charlotte Moore & Lauren Cook | Edited by Anne Bannister | Cinematography by Anne Bannister, Charlotte Moore, & Corey Hopkins
Having gotten to know Ms. James and her deep desire to inspire leaders across the country to transform systems that cause harm, we assured her that this project could serve as a first step toward helping her:
Design a stronger storytelling strategy
Build a more active and cohesive social media presence
Compile her years of impact, data, and content toward producing a documentary or video series
Strategize how to tell her story in a way that leaves a lasting legacy
Photography by Anne Bannister
Our Insights
We listened to what Ms. James said she wanted, and with our signature blend of optimism and care, we delivered videos that reflected both the celebratory nature and gravitas of the summit.
One of the most compelling moments of the event came at the very start when attendees in the packed ballroom were treated to a Sunday-style worship service of song and prayer. We captured two hours of gospel music and spiritual messages from several pastors, a deacon, a Catholic priest, and a holistic healing strategist. This was one of many inspiring experiences we get to enjoy in this work. We believe that being in the room when a client’s purpose is playing out only serves to strengthen our storytelling.
