Shot in the month before the Iowa caucuses, this film aims to provide viewers with a deeper understanding of what happened in the 2016 Democratic primary campaign. The vast majority of media coverage in this election cycle focused on the candidates and campaign strategy. With a moment-driven approach, this film instead focuses on the important personal stories of six campaign volunteers and explores why these people are willing, without pay, to put their lives on hold in support of a candidate. The audience sees what these volunteers actually do when they volunteer and learns about why they choose to participate. The common thread among these campaign volunteers is that they believe their work can make a difference. The film’s title, Believers, is an homage to that common thread.
ROLE: Director, Cinematographer, Editor
The Volunteers
Thank You:
Volunteers: Vikki Brown, Travis Shephard, Susan Vallem, Greg Middents, Houra Sadeghi, Bridget Saffold, Frantz Whitfield, Marvin Innes, Steven Fox
Thesis Committee: Steven King (chair), Daniel Kreiss, Ed O'Keefe
Campaign Staff: Gina Baldwin, Pavitra Abraham, the entire Hillary for Iowa team in Waterloo, IA, Chris Klarich, Tavis Hall, the entire Bernie for Iowa team in Waterloo, IA
Family: Jay, Patty and Sarah Whitehouse
Partner: Carolyn Van Houten
Advisors: Pat Davison, Lisa Krantz, Chad Stevens, Dustin Chambers, Ash Adams, Ross Taylor, Tegan Johnston, Heidi Hennick-Kaminski, Chad Stevens' Spring 2016 Narratives Class
Lodging and Moral Support: Grant Uding, Michael Zamora, Brian Powers, Bob Moore
Financial Support: UNC, Yunghi Kim, The Park Family
Logistics and Information: Jason Noble, Dave and Deb Nagle, Carl Busch at UV Films, Mark Morris at KXEL