I Can’t Talk About It, is a project we’ll be starting soon that deals with child abuse.  Sexual abuse and sex trafficking are horrible crimes that not only make the headlines from those “other” major cities, but it happens right here in West Michigan.   It’s not just in the underserved or poverty stricken areas, but it’s also white middle class suburbia where young girls are being used and abused as sex objects for pleasure, drugs, money…whatever.

Telling this story is never easy.   Hiding it is worse.

As we work with different non-profit advocacy groups around the country in visually communicating this tragedy (and the need for such advocacy groups/shelters) right in our own backyard, our goal is not to presumptuously wage war against sex trafficking.  It’s far too big.  We’ll never win the fight as long as there is a demand.   But our goal is to motivate just one person to get involved.  To speak out.  To point out.   To reach out.   One on One.  One at a time.

We may not deter the enemy’s charge, but we can tend to – and help heal – the wounded.

Cambodia June 2012

The nice thing about filming interviews of baseball players in Florida is that you get to film interviews of baseball players in Florida… And catch a Tigers game!

This past week we have been down in sunny Tampa, Florida interviewing former baseball players for a project called Living Baseball Card (www.livingbaseballcard.com). Hall of Fame great, Goose Gossage, had some pretty funny stories. It’s amazing how the game of baseball has evolved over the years!

The above video is a visual concept we created and developed for the 30th Anniversary of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, one of the iconic landmarks in Grand Rapids. It creatively displays how the investment in the hotel, 30 years ago, by Rich DeVos and Jay VanAndel sparked the Grand Rapids renaissance and inspired a city toward greatness.

At Storytelling Pictures, we never do things the easiest way. We embrace challenge, and are always looking for new ways to tell meaningful stories. So when the MyGR6 team asked us to propose an installation for the community-wide art piece, we got excited … and then we started brainstorming.

We wanted to create something that was truly immersive and revolutionary. We wanted people to not only be able to see their submissions in the artwork displayed at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, but to actually influence the artwork on-site. So we explored the very newest arenas of technology, and decided to push the boundaries.

Microsoft Kinect is an incredible motion sensing input device that allows “you to become the controller.” No wires, no controllers, nothing. Just you and your movements. We have adapted the Microsoft Kinect technology to allow users to manipulate words and create their own 6-word stories simply by moving their hands. The experience is amazing, almost sci-fi, for all MyGR6 participants.

But we did not stop there. We wanted to give the interactive element a artistic atmosphere and storytelling backdrop, so we turned to projection art—another exciting new field combining technology and art. The colors, stories and sounds projected on the textured wall of “old Grand Rapids” in the museum provides a beautiful experience for everyone viewing the exhibit.

As all of these elements come together, we are truly exited about the possibilities. Grand Rapids is a fantastic community, and we consider our involvement a privilege.

Every once in a while, we are asked to work on a project that feels a lot bigger than ourselves. The possibilities are enormous, and the content has worldwide implications, but the truth of what it is lines up with the mission of our hearts. These are the stories that we long to tell.

Human trafficking … child sex slavery … these words do not belong together. But there is something we can do about it. Traffic Jam unites musicians and fans to raise awareness and fight trafficking and enslavement of children around the globe.

At the end of June, Storytelling Pictures will be partnering with Traffic Jam and traveling with the band Sargent Avenue to Thailand and Cambodia to document child trafficking and slavery. In addition, Sargent Avenue has been asked to perform in Chaing Mai, Thailand for an anti-trafficking concert created by MTV Exit.

Sargent Avenue, formed in 2008, blends a variety of musical influences to create rhythmic, emotive rock music and high-energy live shows. Sargent Avenue is the only American band invited to play in the event. But as bass player Jesse Harris shares, "We are more than just musicians; we are men who have something to stand for, something to fight for."

Storytelling Pictures is honored to partner with Traffic Jam to tell such a powerful story. The goal is to educate and inspire people to address child trafficking and slavery head-on and take action to defend innocence.