What We Do

We produce documentary films, podcasts, investigative news articles, and interactive media to develop new creative strategies that engage audiences in pressing social concerns. Relying on a combination of commissioned work and grants, we create media not just with the intent of distributing it to a larger audience like PBS but of putting it directly into the hands of activists, who use our stories to lobby legislators, recruit volunteers, and raise money. We also train activists in how to create their own media, from basic video editing to Web design.

 
 
Jody Santos and her crew on a motorboat in Peru

Documentaries

Our model of filmmaking combines advocacy storytelling with solutions journalism. Our approach is to immerse ourselves in the topics we film and to advocate for what is right and just rather than engage in “he said/she said” types of journalism. Our films have covered issues ranging from the trafficking of girls in Nepal and the destruction of rain forests in Latin America to racial and economic injustices in the U.S.

Disability Inclusion

Much of our media focuses on promoting the human rights and full community inclusion of people with disabilities, who are too often segregated in schools and other types of institutions throughout the world. We have created a social action campaign called “LetThemOut - Ending Handicapitalism One Story at Time” to free the nearly 2 million Americans of all ages who are being held against their will in for-profit institutions, and we have profiled organizations working to create more inclusive environments in the workplace, housing, and places of worship.

Jody Santos talking with a child from Mexico whose hands and legs are restrained
Jody Santos showing photos on an iPad to two children in Kenya

Activist Trainings

Founder/Director/Producer Jody Santos spent ten years in higher education teaching broadcast journalism. As an associate professor at Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, she teaches documentary filmmaking, storytelling for impact, and ethical ways to cover conflict. At Journo4Justice, we work with activists on everything from how to create and upload videos to landing pages and YouTube to how to prepare for on-camera interviews or videotape an event. Jody has conducted workshops on mobile broadcasting - shooting, editing, and uploading with iPhones, for instance - and last summer she taught an online citizen journalism class to young Syrian refugees, using G Suite for class meetings, online training materials, and film screenings.