Thank you, Mrs. Obama
Client
Collegebound
Industry
Education, Nonprofit
Length
2:30
Thank you, Mrs. Obama
Kat Navarro
Animator
Kat is a multidisciplinary animator. Her passions in animation are narrative storytelling, process, and community. She is constantly exploring various visual languages and techniques so she can work on diverse narratives and concepts. In her work, Kat combines digital and analog techniques to create vibrant, textural, and fluid animations with stories that intercross personal history, identity, and a little bit of the fantastical.
Michael Tan
Assistant Editor & Animator
Michael enjoys the journey of shaping stories. He is always in search for the right moments and learning new skills along the way. Michael’s favorite things about video editing and animation are the endless possibilities of presenting stories and how a simple cut, a change of pace, or a motion graphic can transform a whole story. He is always eager to help, collaborate with and learn from the people around him.
Julia Reihs
Producer
Producer
Julia is a storyteller that comes to ELM from the journalism world (yes, she is a big public radio nerd). In both commercial production and documentary, she brings an eye for deeply human stories that have the power to shape how we see each other in the world. She loves to bring her research-oriented, journalistic approach to filmmaking and dive deep to humanize issues, brands, and everything in between. Her past work has focused on life along the Texas-Mexico border, climate change in Alaska, and the pandemic’s effect on musicians in the Live Music Capital of the World (Austin, TX). When she’s not working, she is a huge swing dance hobbyist and cat enthusiast.
Nick Hughes
Director of Photography
Director of Photography
Nick’s career as a filmmaker began unintentionally almost a decade ago when he realized that his background as a trained musician and avid photographer translated naturally to the moving image. After starting out filming bands in basements and backyards, Nick found his way into the documentary world and fell in love with capturing moments as they unfold. Today, Nick is still fascinated by the power of light, motion, and sound as vehicles for deep connection.
Niki Keser
Account Manager
Account Manager
Niki believes that a happy client starts with an incredible experience. Having worked with various brands such as Nike, Prada and Michael Kors, she knows the importance of understanding high profile brands and the sensitivity of all projects. A trouble shooter by trade she prides herself on providing solutions to ensure every project is executed with white-glove service. Connecting with people is more than a job for Niki, it’s her passion. A passion fueled by understanding her customers and their needs. Shoot her a quick email to see how she can help you!
Jessica Schemick
Controller
Controller
Jessica is not interested in your free form thinking—give her logic, patterns, numbers. She prefers spreadsheets to novels and loves seeing how the heart of a business is pulled together through data. Jessica is a fitness buff and supermom who geeks out over long-term budget forecasting and loves watching ELM evolve and grow over time.
Rebecca McCutcheon
Editor
Editor
Rebecca is a multifaceted story teller. Her focus is people, her passion is telling their stories. With a Bachelors in Film from Ringling College of Art and design, she continues to form her skill set and is always looking for something new get her hands on. From the edit bay, to a hot set, she isn’t afraid to tackle the awkward or unknown. With the strong belief that we are all naturally good, she hopes to share with her audiences stories that highlight the beauty in us all.
Kellee Roeder
Illustrator & Animator
Illustrator & Animator
Two of Kellee’s favorite things are animation and getting to work collaboratively on animation projects. She loves discussing and bringing life to projects that have the power to connect strongly with others. In her work, she likes to focus on characters and finding ways to tell stories with their movement and design. Kellee’s passion for art is driven by experimentation, so she’s always up for learning new techniques to drive her animations forward to the next level.
Ezra Pailer
Illustrator & Animator
Illustrator & Animator
Ezra’s favorite thing about animation is the way it lets us bridge the world we know with the imaginative worlds we have yet to explore. He is always seeking exciting new ways he can use the mediums of animation to grow as a storyteller, and being part of the ELM team constantly elevates that passion to new levels. In Ezra’s work, he particularly loves tapping into his fine arts background to create unique painterly styles with rich textures and color. As a lifelong lover of creative writing, he knows few greater thrills than bringing inner visions of characters, landscapes, and stories to tangible life.
Joe Corbe
President / 1631 Digital
Before founding 1631 Digital, Joe held senior advertising positions at The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun and The Daily Caller. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Grassroots Professional Network; the legislative board for Maryland Tourism Coalition, providing insights on emerging technologies on national podcasts and blogs; and frequently partners with National Advertising Agencies.
Darren Durlach
Creative Director /
Early Light Media
Darren is the co-founder of Early Light Media and an Emmy-award winning film/TV director and producer with a diverse storytelling background from journalism, indie films and brand films to TV & digital advertising. He is driven to use his storytelling skills to partner with organizations that are committed to conscious capitalism and adding harmony to the world.
Jody Weldon
Director of Post Production, Partner
Director of Post Production, Partner
Jody is always observing-people he admires, work that moves him, the emotional reactions that come when he watches his final work with stakeholders. A master of pace, finding moments, creating emotion-driven sequences and motion graphics, he lives for the creative intimacy that comes from working with a passionate and engaged team who care about what they are building.
David Larson
Director, Founder
Director, Founder
Dave is a disciplined photographer and an intuitive director who uses the human experience as a canvas for creative expression. Dave balances technical savvy and gorgeous cinematic images with his ability to blend into the background to capture real moment-driven stories making his work connect on deeper levels.
Darren Durlach
Director, Founder
Director, Founder
Darren is drawn towards narrative work that allows for deeper exploration. A firm believer that every shot, word, and moment should advance the story, he’s tireless in refining his work so every moment is intentional and emotionally engaging. His unique style has been developed over a decade of meticulously crafting award-winning films and commercials.