Video Production and Photography in Denver, Colorado

Check out some of my past commercial and documentary work!

 

Public Service Announcement Series Supporting the Implementation of a Downtown Development Authority in “Original Aurora”, Colorado

I’m very proud to share the this series of video PSA’s that I filmed and edited hyping up Aurora city ballot measures A and B for the implementation of a Downtown District Authority in Original Aurora for the 2025 election. In creating this series I had the honor of working with outstanding local community members such as the owners of Vanishing West Ciders, the owner of Bánh & Butter Bakery Café, the Executive Director of Village Exchange Center, the organizers behind Original Aurora Neighbors, and even Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman.

A Downtown Development Authority, otherwise known as a DDA, is a quasi-public entity created in partnership with a local government to revitalize and improve a downtown area. DDAs focus on economic development through planning, securing funding, and partnering with businesses and property owners to implement projects like infrastructure improvements, beautification, and marketing.

In this video, brought to you by Original Aurora Neighbors and produced by myself in partnership with Truce Media, we hear from seven different individuals with deep ties to the Original Aurora community and hear why they specifically strongly support a Downtown Development Authority, and why they encourage you to vote “YES!” on ballot measures A and B as well.

Homeowner Lizzie Schoon supports the creation of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for the East Colfax corridor because she believes it will lead to a safer neighborhood for kids and families. She also thinks a DDA is beneficial for all members of the community because it will help revitalize an economically suppressed area of the city.

Mayor Mike Coffman makes the case to Original Aurorans on why the creation of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is so important to the economic revitalization of the East Colfax Avenue and why it is vital for voters who live in the DDA zone to get informed and let their voices be heard by voting on ballot initiatives A & B during the upcoming Special Election scheduled for November 4!

Heather Adams, owner of Vanishing West Ciders, supports the creation of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) in Original Aurora, and believes that a DDA will help revitalize the historical and artistic significance of the area that will revive the food and beverage culture on East Colfax Avenue for decades to come. Heather encourages all to support the revitalization of East Colfax Avenue and asks that you vote “YES!” on Ballot Initiatives A & B on Election Day!

Thoa Nguyen, business owner of the nationally recognized food establishment Bánh & Butter Bakery Café, speaks to the need of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) in Original Aurora and reminds Original Aurorans that a DDA will lead to better lighting, maintenance of public spaces, reactivation of vacant storefronts, and improved public safety that will all lead to increased pedestrian foot traffic and tourism. Thoa encourages you to vote "Yes!" on ballot initiatives A & B during the upcoming Special Election on November 4.

Longtime community leader Mateos Alvarez, Community Engagement Director for Original Aurora Neighbors, shares his vision for building on what already makes Original Aurora special: its walkability! Known as the most walkable community in the city, Mateos imagines an East Colfax where families can stroll from cafés to restaurants to local shows with ease and pride. With the creation of a Downtown Development Authority, that vision can grow even stronger.

As CEO of the Village Exchange Center, Amanda Blaurock has seen firsthand both the challenges and the untapped potential of Original Aurora. In her message, she explains how a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) can transform the area by improving public safety, transportation, and economic development.
(Note: I only served as editor on this particular video!)

 

“America’s Hidden Gem: Northwest Aurora”

"Aurora, Colorado is one of the top 10 most diverse cities in America and Northwest Aurora, or “Original Aurora”, is its heart center. It used to be affordable, but urban development threatens to dismantle the cultural fabric that makes this place special. Several strategies, including micro-economic development that supports small businesses, coops, nonprofit coalitions, and an official City Department of International & Immigrant Affairs, are all addressing the issue. If this community can keep the diversity and cultural fabric intact through conscious revitalization, it will become a model for other cities facing gentrification." Subjects for this documentary included a wide array of local community leaders, nonprofit Executive Directors, and city and state elected representatives.

I had the privilege of serving on the production of this film as an Associate Producer, Assistant Director, and as a Videographer!

Further below you’ll find a selection of Behind-the-Scenes photographs that I captured throughout the process of filming.

And what’s that?! “Hidden Gem” is NOW STREAMING FOR FREE ON ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS? No Way! Well…I suppose that means you oughta give it a watch!

 
 

V DAO At ETHDenver 2025

Meet V DAO! They're a visionary collective of creators, builders, and innovators using blockchain to reimagine community, governance, and nature-based tech. Think decentralized worker co-op meets real-world action. With the video and photo documentation I produced chronicling their journey, ride along as the V DAO crew rolls into ETHDenver 2025; ready to connect, co-create, and dive deep into their identity through a breakout governance session. Watch now and see what decentralized, grassroots innovation really looks like.

 

The Fall Food Justice Festival

The Fall Food Justice Festival is an event dedicated to celebrating food access, sustainability, and community, within the NW Aurora Community. The event is hosted annually by Food Justice NW Aurora, a nonprofit. I was granted the privilege of producing a “Sizzle” video for the event highlighting all of the fun that both the attendees and the vendors had, as well as a promotional video to encourage community members to attend.

  • The event’s “Promo Video” would go on to become their most-watched and liked piece of content on their Instagram account with a 4% engagement rate, 4,635 views, 122 Likes, 6 Comments, and 57 shares!

  • The “Promo Video” absolutely BLEW UP on TikTok with an incredible 9%(!) engagement rate; capturing 3,357 views, 287 Likes, and 14 Shares ! Click on the thumbnails below to learn all about this incredible event and then be sure to swing by next year and grab some locally grown produce!

 

Northwest Aurora Leaders Learn About Community Development Corporations

Throughout 2024, I had the incredible opportunity to produce a series of mini film documentaries covering the learning journeys taken by community leaders from Northwest Aurora where they explored how Community Development Corporations (CDCs) strengthen and revitalize neighborhoods. From the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston to Lawrence CommunityWorks in Massachusetts, and back home to Denver’s NEWSED CDC in the Santa Fe Arts District, we witnessed firsthand the power of community-led development—revitalizing neighborhoods without displacement. These visits, which were organized by the Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition, provided invaluable insights into how communities with histories similar to NW Aurora are shaping their own futures through equitable development. Seeing local leaders engage with these spaces and learning from passionate guides was truly inspiring.

Participants in these excursions included:

  • Mateos Alvarez, Executive Director of the Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition and the Migrant Response Network

  • Christo Luna, Social Determinants of Health Manager with the Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition

  • Caitlin Matthews, Executive Director of Food Justice NW Aurora

  • Reid Hettich, Pastor at Mosaic Unlimited

  • Crystal Murillo, Aurora City Council Member representing Ward 1

  • James Grevious, Executive Director of Rebel Marketplace, Urban Symbiosis, and Owner of Rebels in the Garden

  • Shere Walker-Ravenell, Executive Director of Black Parents United Foundation

  • Johnny Watson, President of National Action Network - Colorado. Former Aurora City Council Member

  • Ageno Otii, Senior Program Officer, The Colorado Health Foundation

  • Elena Vasconez, Associate Director of the Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center

  • Laura Perry, City of Aurora Deputy City Manager

  • Jeannine Rustad, City of Aurora Planning and Business Development Director

 

NW aurora Mauritanian town hall

In response to a large influx of Mauritanian migrants moving into the NW Aurora community, The Migrant Response Network - a new nonprofit - organized a town hall meeting on to meet with the newcomers and encourage them to select 7-9 ambassadors amongst themselves so that local organizations can better coordinate with them in finding work, resources, and directing them on how to work within the Colorado legal framework as undocumented individuals. The ambassadors were chosen by vote and while there were disagreements initially everything worked out in the end! These photographs and short film documentary serve as a proof of concept for the new nonprofit organization as it provides immediate and clear visual evidence of the value they provide to the local community.

 

The Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition

The AEOC is a nonprofit organization that strives to promote long-term wealth building within the historically underserved NW Aurora community by empowering professionals and businesses with access to a comprehensive network of valuable resources. The following gallery contains a series of images taken at a variety of live events produced by the AEOC. The photographs were commissioned in order to bolster the organization’s online presence and future marketing efforts.

 

The Migrant Response Network

The MRN is a Nonprofit Organization dedicated to responding and empowering migrants in NW Aurora, Colorado. Some of the ways this incredible organization accomplishes this is through hosting meetings between other migrant responding organizations so where they can trade information and resources, holding cooking classes for new arrivals, offering free legal clinics for the new arrivals, and assisting migrants in obtaining their work authorization within Colorado so that they can become self-sufficient members of their new communities. Below are two videos and an assortment of photographs documenting these various events.

  • When posted onto TikTok, the “NW Aurora Migrant Cooking Class” video achieved an outstanding engagement rate of 15% (good is considered 2-5%!) and collected 2,129 views, 291 likes, 11 comments. and 17 saves.

  • The “NW Migrants Tour the Colorado State Capitol” video achieved an engagement rate of 5% on TikTok with 2,986 views, 125 likes, 2 comments, and 11 saves.
    In the case of each video, all viewing and engagement metrics were entirely organic with no money having been spent to boost either.

  • Both videos were also very instrumental in boosting the subscribers for the TikTok account and there was a noticeable uptick in new followers after each video was posted.

 

Rebel Marketplace Farmer’s MArket

Rebel Marketplace is a community driven market  dedicated to sowing seeds of change in Aurora Colorado, helping develop small neighborhood farms that do more than feed — they unite and build community. Joe Fox was hired as a photographer and videographer to help market the Rebel Marketplace during their 2024 season.

  • When posted on TikTok, the “Promo Video #1” achieved a “Good” engagement rate of 5% with 6,489 views, 283 Likes, 5 comments, and 12 saves. It is also responsible for pulling in 50 new account followers!

  • When posted on Instagram, the “Promo Video #1” achieved a “Great” engagement rate of 6% with 2,971 views, 150 Likes, 5 Comments, and 32 Shares! These metrics made this video their most engaged post on their Instagram account and their second most watched.

  • When posted onto the Aurora, Colorado subReddit (r/Auroraco) “Promo Video #1” punched above it weight for the small community with 75 Upvotes, 11,000 views, 32 shares, and an upvote rate of 99%!

 

Urban Symbiosis

Urban Symbiosis is a non-profit that grew out of a need for long-standing symbiotic relationships between locally owned and community-driven businesses. Through a combination of offering apprenticeships with seasoned urban gardeners, supporting local farmer market initiatives, and teaching local classes, Urban Symbiosis is dedicated to introducing alternative food systems to Aurora, Colorado.

Misc. Photography

Hey man, sometimes I just like to have fun.