Planning out a dinner menu at age 8, advertised to my family, complete with a formal table setting and candlelight to spice up our nightly dinner routine. Convincing my first grade class to sing a song I had written during a school-wide assembly, about how we should all live happily together. Recruiting customers for “Hannah’s pet watching business”, which advertised that I would happily watch all animals - except snakes. From the time I was a little girl, I loved all things organization, relationships and planning. When I look back, it’s incredible to see how my childhood experiences, leadership roles, and times of play and activity molded me into the professional I am today.
I spent much of my free time as a child playing with Barbies and my dolls. There was an extensive world to be created, roles to assign, and organization to be had. I loved having the ability to plan out my Barbie’s day - from organizing groceries after a trip to the store, to getting their car fixed and organizing a pool party for all of the Barbie friends. The core piece I remember most about playing Barbies as a young girl, was the relationships I had them develop with each other. They interacted kindly and developed deep, imaginary friendships. To some extent, I understood even then, that relationships were key to successful plans, whether as simple as stocking cabinets or extensive like corporate events. You could be the most organized person, or doll, in the world - but without relationships, even the best laid plans can fail.
While in high school, I dabbled in a variety of clubs, activities, and sports - each allowing me to interact with different groups of people. There were the dancers who moved and acted differently from the cheerleaders, even though some of them overlapped. There was the debate team, which held far different personalities than the student council. In each group, I felt at home - developing friendships with a wide variety of students, of varying grades, experiences and interests. I held leadership positions in most of those organizations - loving to plan out group trips, community volunteer opportunities, hair curling parties or celebrations. But it was only through relationships, that those experiences thrived and we were successful as a team. This continues to ring true to this day, as we strive for a team atmosphere at Filmiamo and when collaborating with clients or in-house production teams.
Syracuse University was a natural pick for me, due to the variety of activities, academic reputation of my selected program (Sport Management) and the culture this large university was known for. I can truly say I would not be the woman I am today, or living the life and career I have, had it not been for Syracuse. The Sport Management program, and adjacent activities, are where I truly cultivated my love of events. In my junior year, I had the honor of serving as the Co-Chair for the 10th Annual Charity Sports Auction. Together with my co-chair, we spearheaded the annual event, ultimately raising $59,185 for Make-A-Wish Central New York. It was through the event preparation and Fridays spent with peers exclusively on auction prep that I really fell in love with the details required to plan large scale events and the relationships you develop while prepping over 500 auction items for display. While my eventual career didn’t include a large foray into sports, the development and sales skills, and the desire to help others, furthered in me as part of the Sport Management program remain true today.
And then there’s Remembrance. Every year, Syracuse University selects 35 seniors to be Remembrance Scholars, in honor of the 35 Syracuse students who tragically lost their lives in the Pan Am 103 Bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The Scholars are tasked with remembering the lives of those students, and continually to “Look Back and Act Forward” in their memory. Together, this group planned events to remember, culminating in a rose laying ceremony at the Remembrance Wall on campus. Being selected a Scholar is one of the highest honors at Syracuse - and ultimately, how Luke and I met. It is, remarkably, through tragedy that we found love. I saw in Luke, a fellow Scholar, someone who had the same desire to give back to the community, and a dedication to sharing stories in hope of bettering the world around him.
My path then meandered through assisting with planning the Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions, to local marketing events, all the way to planning product displays for Lenovo at the Consumer Electronics Show. And then COVID hit. The world of events quickly shut down and I was faced with determining what was next. It was in that time of self reflection, looking back at all of my past experiences and skills, dreams and desires - that I understood the extent to which production was similar to each and every one of my previous experiences and joys! In my role as Executive Producer, I get to interact with clients - developing lasting, meaningful relationships. I get to plan our shoots, cultivate new clients, and spend my time interviewing subjects to draw out their incredible stories. And often, I get to interact with nonprofits or showcase the good organizations are doing in the community, using my skills to further their impact.
And that leads us to where we are today. Together running Filmiamo, and using our combined skills to create a company focused on inspiring action through digital narrative. It’s no surprise that we both love the projects with heart - the videos that inspire, make you cry or teach you about something new and life changing. We love meeting people and walking away from a shoot talking about how those people became our best friends for the day. We’ve made lifelong relationships with clients, subjects and the people we meet. I am so incredibly grateful for the work we do each and every day - and the incredible human beings we get to interact with.
Written by: Hannah Rafferty
