HELPING CLOSE THE EDUCATION GAP WORLDWIDE WITH DIGITAL EDUCATION & THE INTERNET.

THIS WAS OUR FIRST PROJECT,
AND WE HAPPEN TO THINK IT WENT PRETTY WELL.

When Stebs first heard about Project Hello World, they were an organization with an incredible mission: end the global education deficit and aid in closing the poverty gap worldwide by giving people in rural and developing countries access to digital and online education. The only difficulty was that they were having a hard time saying that to the rest of the world. Our goal was to dive head-first into what they were doing and create digital platform filled with great media that clearly explained the cause.

Our first step was to do as much research around the idea of child-led digital education as possible to fully understand what we were getting ourselves into. Next, we had to learn how they were doing this and why. Where did the inspiration come from? How do they stand out from others who are doing this work? Where did we have to go to document what they're doing?

The answer? Uganda.

Keena and Stebs spent two weeks embedded with the organization as they navigated the trials and tribulations of building what they call a "Hello Hub" in Western Uganda. They spent nearly everyday with the small Ugandan village of Kidubuli, learning about them and working to tell their story. We took great care in learning every aspect of the project, with the goal of bringing that information home with us to better inform all of our work to come.

Once we were back sitting with loads of photos and video footage, the amazing design firm Hovercraft out of Portland Oregon came in and worked to give the organization a proper identity. In combination with their identity package, designer Monica Hargrove took on the task of developing a 150 page, hardcover photo book (and other peripherals) to tell the story in a completely new way. Additionally, we had a handful of other creators and artists join the effort, including some who are still working on future media.

READ BELOW FOR SOME KIND WORDS ABOUT OUR TEAM FROM THE MEMBERS OF PROJECT HELLO WORLD:

STEBS, FILM, WEBSITE, CREATIVE DIRECTION & PROJECT MANAGMENT

"Stebs called Katrin out of the blue. He’d read something about Hello World on his Facebook feed and wanted to help reach more children with access to the internet and education. We had a call and within an hour, Stebs was planning to fly to Uganda to document the Hello Hub build and he brought his amazing and talented friends and colleagues along for the journey to help us tell our story. Stebs made our beautiful film, made us laugh on the build, and got busy helping us figure out a new brand, website, and way to let people know what we’ve been working on. Stebs didn't just show up and do a job; he showed up for the whole journey. To listen and learn alongside the communities. To find out what needed to be done. To muck in and to share his expertise. You're reading this because Stebs made it possible to get our work out there!"
 

JUSTIN KEENA, PHOTOGRAPHER, CO-CREATIVE DIRECTOR

"Justin jumped on a flight at the last possible moment to join us on a Hello Hub build in Uganda, documenting our work with the community. His beautiful, tender and respectful photos are all over our website and are documented in a gorgeous book (to be released soon!). A delight to work with, he was a natural addition to our team, working long and late, putting his camera aside to teach the children at the Hubs, and truly listening to the people in front of his lens."

HOVERCRAFT STUDIO, BRANDING & IDENTITY

"Since we're a global organization, it's incredibly important to us that we have a well-crafted brand that speaks to people young and old in every country. Hovercraft took their time and sunk their teeth into our mission statement, crafting the beautiful brand identity you see at the head of our communication. The logo, colors, and overall themes of their design will live for us for years to come."

MONICA HARGROVE, HARDCOVER PHOTO BOOK & COLLATERAL

"Monica has been using her talents designing a beautiful hard cover book that will launch in mid 2016. He sensibility for story, layout, aesthetic and structure are incredible. He efforts have not only helped to create a lasting piece of art for our supporters, but have also allowed us to look at our organization in a whole new way."

DAN MEHTA, MUSIC COMPOSER (FILM)

"Dan is an incredible musician and brought his talents to the table to give our film a beautiful original soundtrack. His sensibility and passion for our organization allowed him to create songs that spoke perfectly to the images on screen."
 

PETE LOUISON, WEBSITE COPY EDITOR

"Using his seasoned skill for honing the voice of organizations, Pete lent his hand in refining ours. There's a lot to say in our line of work, and if we didn't have Pete to reign us in this website may be filled with far too much blabbing!"

JENN HARPER, ADDITIONAL POST-PRODUCTION (FILM)

"Sometimes, as they say, "it's hard to see the trees when you're in the woods." Jenn took over editing in the later stages of the process but was able to take a step back and really help to hone the narrative, making everything flow beautifully."
 

ERIC MARKS, SOUND MIXER (FILM)

"Eric used his skills as a sound mixer to help polish the final audio output of the film. Combing through every interview and music montage, he made sure everything sounded fluid."