Photo: Sally Aristei
Photo: Sally Aristei |
Matt Keener knows the power of seeing images brought to life through video. The executive director of Filmmakers Foundation is concerned about air pollution and secondhand smoke, so he's joined forces with the American Lung Association to help focus public attention on these issues.
"We all have to breathe the air," Keener says. "I want to do something that has impact, something that really matters."
Through Filmmakers Foundation, his connections, and his own hard work, he has helped produce innovative television public service announcements with powerful visual messages for the organization, including a smoke-free bar PSA that was aired around the state to help bolster support for the new law. The 30-second spot depicts a hazy, smoky bar scene where bar employees cough and choke as they serve their customers.
Keener also produced the video and satellite feed for the Gumby and Pokey clean air campaign kick-off in Los Angeles. The story was picked up by TV stations around the state from that feed.
"There is a direct correlation between how we treat our environment and our quality of life," Keener says. "I think we all have to ask ourselves, 'How can I effect change in a positive way?'"