From local news to local documentary
It’s hard to believe I left WANE-TV more than three years ago.
Some of you still recognize me as “that guy from NewsChannel 15.” But for the past couple years I’ve been drinking from the fire hose of higher education. As a full-time faculty member in the Huntington University Digital Media Arts Department and a 3rd-year graduate student in Asbury University’s M.F.A in Film and TV Production program, it’s been a constant stream of information.
Research. Prepare. Teach. Listen. Do. Repeat.
Impacting the next generation of storytellers is my first vocational priority, but my passion for telling inspiring stories hasn’t changed. On my last day at WANE-TV, I said I had plans to transition from local news to local documentaries. That dream has now become a reality.
The summer of 2016 I set out on an adventure to capture one of the most inspiring stories I had ever heard. In the fall of 2013, I was originally supposed to cover the story of a little boy from Guatemala named Jenri who was receiving cochlear implants in Fort Wayne and would hear his mother’s voice, via Skype, for the first time. I pitched the story but had to follow up on an investigation. Fortunately, meteorologist Jesse Hawila did an amazing job with the story and Jenri’s journey gained national attention.
This story has always stuck with me. Not because I wanted the accolades, but because it is so inspiring. This was the story that got away…
So the summer of 2016 I received a grant from the Emeriti Fellows Research and Artistic Creation Fund through my employer, Huntington University, to pursue a similar story in an in-depth fashion. Jenri was in Fort Wayne on a medical visa through Ray of Hope Medical Missions. The organization connects kids who need medical attention in third-world-countries with American host families and doctors who donate the time, effort, and resources.
I called Rebecca Ghent, the co-founder of Ray of Hope, and said I would like to document the journey of a child in America. She said, “How in-depth do you want to go?” and offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel with a team reuniting a four-year-old girl with her family in Uganda.
Immediately, I began tearing up. My nieces were adopted from Uganda and I could tell God’s hand was in this journey.
In addition to the trip, I had the opportunity to document the journey of 12-year-old Joël for two-years in Fort Wayne. He traveled from Burkina Faso to receive a safe amputation and prosthetic leg, but miraculous things happened…
The result is a half-hour documentary I’m calling: The Promise. It’s the story of African children with life-threatening diagnoses who fly across the world to be treated by Americans who promise to heal the kids and return them home. As you can imagine, this experience brings revelations of culture, community, and what is truly best for the children.
I’ve been pleased to show this in Fort Wayne and Huntington University so far. The film has been submitted to festivals and I’m currently seeking distribution, which is why I’m unable to share it online right now. Stay tuned for more info on how you can see The Promise.
-Adam