We Are Chaffee Documentary
We Are Chaffee is a storytelling initiative funded through a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: Office of Health Equity, Health Disparities Community Grant Program to Chaffee County Department of Public Health and Environment and the Chaffee Housing Authority. The focus of this grant is to enhance our community's awareness of local inequities through education, strengthening partnerships, and storytelling to create a cultural change that will influence policy and system change to create more equitable housing opportunities and a healthier community in Chaffee County.
The sharing of short, impactful, and diverse personal stories told by local people for local people has been proven through the use of data collection, to be a catalyst for creating community dialogue and awareness about inequities in housing and other social determinants of health. The We Are Chaffee stories include: written stories, video stories, and a podcast. All of these and more about We Are Chaffee may be found on the website at: www.wearechaffee.org.
Why a Documentary
In order to keep the work fresh within our community, to engage community stakeholders, and to ensure a more focused and educated approach to the project goals, the We Are Chaffee Team will create a documentary-type film that is informed by a notable social scientist, Dr. Jennifer Sherman, (https://soc.wsu.edu/faculty/sherman-jennifer/), local stakeholders, and completed by a local Emmy-Award winning filmmaker, Julie Speer Jackson, (https://www.juliespeerproductions.com/).
JULIE SPEER JACKSON PRESIDENT & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
An Emmy-Award-Winning filmmaker and 4th generation Coloradan, Julie has produced and directed over 1000 documentaries across the US and abroad, including several Emmy Award-Winning shows for Public Television. She is the Creator of Rocky Mountain PBS’s “Colorado Experience” and has several narrative and documentary projects in development. She is the Chief Creative Officer for jSPiNC, the Chief Content Officer for Truce Media Collective and the Chaffee Country Film Commissioner. She lives in Salida and Denver.
SARAH HAMILTON - VIDEOGRAPHER & EDITOR, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Sarah Hamilton is a documentary editor and director. For seven years she has created films exploring Arab-American identity post 9/11, the power of music after tragedy, and a Corps' movement grappling with its problematic past. Sarah is drawn to stories with deep emotional truths that transcend our differences. An intrepid camera operator she can get the shot in highly technical and remote environments: her work has been done climbing, skiing, as well as deep in the backcountry for extended periods. She assistant edits
for films featured at Tribeca, Banff, Mountain Film, and Five Point. She lives in Salida, Colorado.