Less than a Week Away
Forest Calls is less than a week away from production!
I’m so excited! I still cannot believe what has been accomplished over the last two years! Something that once existed only as an idea has grown into seven projects, dozens of collaborators, and countless hours of work. And this upcoming week, that work will finally come to life.
When the documentary “When Silence Becomes the Song” originally aired on PBS, I could not have expected the overwhelming support, encouragement, and outreach that followed. The conversations that came from that film completely changed the trajectory of my life. They led me to continue my education as a Master’s student, where I have been able to focus on Environmental Communication, Advocacy, Social Justice, and Children’s Media. What’s more, they helped solidify the career I have been dreaming about since I was a kid: to create positive and meaningful change through storytelling.
Forest Calls has grown directly out of that journey.
What we have been working toward has come from over two years of planning, creating, problem-solving, dreaming and a lot of three-hour weekly Zoom calls. It has taken a ton of mental and physical energy to juggle between being a graduate student, a teacher, a pharmacy technician, and the person overseeing seven different projects as they moved from an idea on paper into something real. But when I’d open my emails and see the progress of what a partner shared, or hear what a partner would say during these zoom calls, my heart would become so full, and fuel me to continue going forward with these initiatives.
To the 35+ partners who have helped make this project become a reality, THANK YOU! I am so proud to call you Forest Calls collaborators, and am so amazed by the incredible work, creativity, time, and care you have dedicated to this project.
To the community, who have followed along for these 2 years, THANK YOU! The support you have given has fueled all of us to continue our work in environmental conservation. A project cannot be successful without an audience, and my goodness have you shown up, listened, watched, and supported us every step of the way!
I cannot believe that all of this came from saying “yes” to one documentary project back in 2022…
There is still so much work ahead of us. But next week, we finally get to see these ideas move from our screens, notebooks, emails, meetings, and conversations into the real world, and I cannot wait to share them with you.
I’ll see you all very soon!
With warm aloha,
– Ella
