PATH Water approached MKL to create a custom campaign in collaboratin with Rite Aid, to celebrate Autism Awareness. PATH created a custom bottle to be sold at Rite Aid locations and wanted a content campaign to support the efforts and build a narrative around the activation.

Director and Producer

As Director and Producer, I led and pitched the project from initial concept development through full execution and post production. Initially, the concept was going to be a more stylized, direct-to-camera style piece but we opted for a documentary approach to feel true to the Autistic community. Building the project also put me in the best position to direct the piece, ensuring that a central narrative/theme was preserved. I also stuck close through post and edited the piece to ensure the arc maintained adherence to the creative and emotional vision.

Originally, we envisioned a direct-to-camera, stylized commercial approach. However, after discussions with creative and PATH PR, we decided that this may land too heavy-handed and would lack true empathy. The Autistic community is misunderstood and so we thought it would be better to highlight a real family’s story about their experience.

Ultimately, all parties wer thrilled with the final product, which went live on the PATH Water and Rite Aid social media channels. The family felt their story was celebrated in the right way and that, above all, is what this project was all about.

We had about 1 month to execute the project. I had to produce and shoot the film inside of a roughly 2-week window, given character availability and timing with Autism Awareness Month. Another challenge was the creative. In the beginning, it was difficult to develop a concept that felt appropriate and gave ASD the respect it deserves. ASD is a misunderstood condition and the team wanted to remain sensitive to that. Ultimately, the documentary approach lent itself to keeping our voices out and prioritizing the voice of the family who needed the platform.