What is Lights. Camera. Help. ?
The People
Connect With Us
What is Lights. Camera. Help.? Lights. Camera. Help. is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to encouraging other nonprofit and cause-driven organizations to use film and video to tell their stories. We do this through our education and volunteer match programs, screenings and an annual film festival.
Our History
The World's First Film Festival Exclusively for Nonprofit and Cause-driven Films. On July 31st - August 2nd, 2009, Lights. Camera. Help. hosted the first of its annual film festivals of nonprofit and cause-driven films. The organization began planning the event in January, 2009.
- Submissions open on April 30th with the Reel-to-Reality event.
- Over 140 documentaries, PSAs and short films were submitted in 2 months.
- 20 finalists were selected for screening.
- Tickets were sold to two screenings and one party.
- 3 Judges selected 1 film to win the Jury Prize.
- The organization that was the subject of the winning film received all the proceeds from the festival, which was over $1,000.
Programs
Project : Action! The goal of Project:Action! is to connect nonprofits in need of films with creatives who are willing to donate or discount their services.
- All nonprofits and filmmakers in the U.S. will be able to apply to the program.
- Both organizations and individuals will be evaluated to assure standards are met.
- Lights. Camera. Help. will connect the cause-driven organization and film professional.
We are currently in the process of raising funds to make this service happen. Please donate today to towards this cause.
Learn with LCH Lights. Camera. Help. plans on having several different programs ranging from large group lectures to one-on-one trainings to day-long workshops.
- Programs will benefit nonprofit and cause-driven organizations only.
- A scholarship program will be available on an application basis to benefit those organizations who can't afford these opportunities.
- Educational Program is scheduled to launch in January of 2010
Lights. Camera. Help. Presents Several times a year, Lights. Camera. Help. will host or co-host screenings across the country to promote the films-for-a-cause genre.
- Collaborations with other organizations will allow screenings in other cities.
- These screenings will benefit Lights. Camera. Help. to make the annual film festival a huge success.
You can contact Lights. Camera. Help. at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The People
The Co-founders and Board of Directors
David J. Neff
I am the Creator, Co-Founder and CEO of Lights. Camera. Help. I would say that I am a Author, Teacher, Speaker, Blogger, Network Weaver, and Social Media Scientist. For over 10 years I have been helping people and nonprofits focus on doing good all across the world. I did this through 9 years at the American Cancer Society as the Director of Web, Film and Interactive Strategy. While there I started their film and documentary department. I also shot a full length documentary and owned and operated a film production company here in Austin, TX. @daveiam
Aaron Bramley
I am Co-founder and Director of Communication/Education for Lights. Camera. Help. In this role, I'm responsible conceptualizing the organization’s vision and working to see it through. I focus on communication, collaboration, nonprofits, video, social media and the bleeding edge technology behind these things. I learn, I teach, I share and I work to make the world, or at least a small part of it, a better place. @aaronMSB
Rich Vazquez
I am the co-founder and current Board President of Lights. Camera. Help. I am also the Lead Programmer for Community Impact Newspaper’simpactnews.com focusing on hyperlocal news coverage. My current causes include promoting open source software, creative commons and computer security. I also serve on the board for the Austin Time Exchange Network, Single Parent Resource Network and EFF-Austin. I attended Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, majoring in Dramatic Writing and serve as webmaster for the Cine Las Americas film festival. @drapetomaniac
Andrea Schulle
Andrea is the newly elected Secretary on the LCH Board of Directors. She is the principal of As Such Communications, a communication and event strategy, design and execution firm, and co-founded PR Soup, a collaborative blog site where she and her colleagues serve up PR and marketing advice for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and small business owners. Andrea also dedicates time to Freelance Austin as the Co-Chair/Website Coordinator and just ended a 3-year run as Co-Chair of the Wonder Ball for Austin-based NPO Wonders & Worries. @andreaschulle
Christina S. Martell
Christina is the current Coordinator on the LCH Board of Directors. She has spent 10 years working in countless Non-Profit organizations and Art Museums in fundraising and event planning while serving on four non-profit boards in Austin, Texas. She has recently became the Culture and Economic Director for the Austin Creative Alliance. @csmartell
Dan Graham
Austin native Dan Graham serves as CEO of BuildASign.com, a three-time ABJ Fast 50 award winning and two-time INC5000 company. Dan earned undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the School of Law at UT Austin. In March 2005, he co-founded BuildASign.com and bootstrapped the company to great success. Since then, BuildASign.com has grown to operations in four countries with 170+ employees and $30Million in revenue, having taken zero funding. Dan also serves the Austin community in a variety of capacities including the Board of Directors of Austin Pro Bono; as a member of the Cities of Service Steering Committee for the City of Austin; incoming 2012 Board of Directors Vice Chair of Small Business for Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce; Chair for UT's Innovation & Science Enterprise Advisory Board; Incubation Station Mentor; Executive Chair of the UT Law Non-Practicing Alumni Advisory Council; City of Austin Sign Review Board Member; and as a mentor at Tech Ranch Austin, St. Michael's Academy and UT’s 1 Semester Startup.
Selected Interns
Hi, I'm Thomas Minor and I am the Community Manager intern here at Lights. Camera. Help. I was born and raised in El Paso Texas and I'm currently studying History and Rhetoric/Writing at UT Austin. I'm here because I honestly believe that what a person has to say and how that person says it are equally important. Film is an incredibly powerful communication and persuasion tool, and Lights. Camera. Help is all about helping nonprofits use it to do good things all around the world. I'm actually getting to help in that process AND indulge in my own geeky practice of playing around on social media sights. It rules pretty hard.
Connect With Us
Email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mailing Address
Lights. Camera. Help.
PO Box 270069
Ausitn, TX 78727
(512) 308-6215
Social Networks
Twitter
@NPFilm
@aaronMSB
@daveiam
@drapetomaniac
