Your gala is the one night your organization has a full room, full attention, and one shot at the ask. Here's exactly how we've built that night to pay off — twice, for the same client, two years apart.
Agape International Missions
The Challenge
AIM fights child sex trafficking around the world. For their 2025 gala, they needed films that could carry the full weight of that mission into a room of donors — and translate it into gifts, not just goodwill.
Our Approach
Finding the Story
We spent time with AIM's team identifying which survivor stories carried the emotional weight to move a room of major donors, without exploiting the people at the center of them.
Writing
Scripts were built around three of AIM's core pillars, each structured to land at a specific moment in the gala program rather than as a standalone film.
Production Timeline
Production was timed backward from the gala date, with final cuts locked in time for tech rehearsal.
Deliverables
The Result
The gala raised over $5.9 million in donations — funding AIM's continued fight against trafficking and the restoration care that follows.
Agape International Missions
This film is private due to the sensitive nature of the survivor story it features — the looping clip above is behind-the-scenes footage, not the film itself.
The Challenge
AIM's 3-day gala event needed an emotional through-line connecting all three pillars of their work — Rescue, Heal, and Empower — into a single donor experience rather than three disconnected asks.
Our Approach
Finding the Story
Billy co-wrote the story with a team of writers. Having worked closely with AIM and survivors, he was able to direct toward the raw, honest emotion the film needed rather than a polished but distant retelling.
Writing
Structured as three chapters — Rescue, Heal, Empower — mirroring both the film's arc and the three days of the gala event itself.
Production Timeline
Produced ahead of the gala as a single cohesive piece, with Billy serving as executive producer and co-director alongside the writing team.
Deliverables
The Result
The gala secured $4 million in donations, with another $400,000+ from home events — together resulting in the purchase of a restoration home in Central America where girls could begin to heal from trauma.
Built to Blend Into the Room
Many galas play three videos to show three pillars of impact. We craft our stories to blend seamlessly into the run of show — timed, paced, and sequenced so each film lands at the right moment in your program instead of competing with it.
How far in advance should we start?
Ideally 6 months out, which gives the most room for strategy, filming, and editing without rushing the story. For smaller projects, 8–12 weeks is the minimum we'd want.
Can you work with our existing gala production or AV team?
Yes — we regularly deliver gala films formatted and timed for an outside event production partner to run on the night.
Do you handle multiple films for one gala?
Often, yes — both Esther's Story and Chantrea used a multi-chapter structure built around AIM's core pillars, timed to specific moments in the gala program rather than one long film.
Our way of making an impact is helping you scale
so you can serve more people in real need.
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