THE MILE PROJECT

VISUAL STORYTELLING

COMPASS & LIGHT

Professional videography and photography services
that equip nonprofits to educate and inspire.

THE MILE PROJECT PORTFOLIO HIRE US NEIGHBOR SERIES COMPASS & LIGHT NEIGHBOR SERIES

VISUAL STORYTELLING

FOR NONPROFITS

Professional videography and photography services
that equip nonprofits to educate and inspire.

PORTFOLIO HIRE US

FOR NONPROFITS

Story Matters

– WHO WE ARE –

We are a nonprofit organization that provides professional video and photography at affordable prices for charities. Whether a nonprofit is local or global, large or small, a church or a foundation, we exist to help share their stories and further their missions.

Learn More About Us

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– OUR IMPACT –

500+
CHARITIES SERVED

1000+
VIDEOS PRODUCED

50
COUNTRIES FILMED

WE WOULD BE HONORED TO HELP TELL YOUR STORY.

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Each morning at Brookstone Schools in Uptown Charl

Each morning at Brookstone Schools in Uptown Charlotte, a chorus of young voices repeating “I Am Somebody” echoes throughout the hallways.

Before class starts, the fourth grade students of Brookstone Schools recite a poem written by Judy Brooks, a fourth grade English and language arts teacher at the school. Inspired by professional educator Rita Pierson, Judy wrote the poem to help her students feel empowered and worthy of the education they receive.

“I needed something for my students to recite that would be meaningful, relevant, and meet them where they were,” Judy says.

The Christian school aims to make private education affordable and accessible to under-resourced families, and its students bring a diversity of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to the classroom. The poem reminds Brookstone’s students of their identity and purpose as students, and though poem recitations aren’t required as part of the school’s curriculum, “I Am Somebody” remains a core tradition of Brookstone Schools.

We are honored to team up with the Luis von Ahn Fo

We are honored to team up with the Luis von Ahn Foundation to continue supporting nonprofits doing good work in Guatemala. From marine and wildlife conservation, to women’s empowerment and healthcare for families in under-resourced communities, nonprofits are making a difference in Guatemala’s cities, mountains and coastlines, and we are joining the foundation in furthering their missions by sharing their stories.

There is a deep richness in Guatemala’s culture that stories are born out of, and we’re excited to serve many nonprofits throughout the year that are working to preserve the country’s culture, history and resources.

These are faces of strength, of wisdom, of beauty

These are faces of strength, of wisdom, of beauty and of love. They represent resilience through hardship and hope for what’s to come. They are our mothers and our teachers, creators and providers. They are our inspiration — and today and every day, we honor the women of the world.

Poémia came about in a dream — one of a wedding

Our team is headed to Guatemala, where we’ll spe

Our team is headed to Guatemala, where we’ll spend a week capturing the stories of Indigenous women and girls in rural Maya towns.

In Guatemala, Indigenous women and girls are marginalized. More than 60% of the country’s Indigenous women live in poverty, and half of them don’t know how to read or write. We’re honored to serve nonprofits that focus on empowering Indigenous women and girls by providing them with opportunities to expand their education, learn about reproductive health and amplify their voices.

Every fall for nearly 50 years, young students ent

Every fall for nearly 50 years, young students entered the doors of Plato Price School, ready for the next nine months of learning. But one fall in the late 1960s, the students didn’t arrive — and the area stayed empty for years, used only for storage before the building was demolished in the ‘80s.

Now, after decades of being unused, the land at 4201 Morris Field Drive is preparing to once again be a source of community for Charlotte — this time in the form of affordable housing.

Habitat for Humanity received ownership of the land in 2018, and the organization will use it to develop The Meadows at Plato Price, a development of 39 affordable, single-family homes. The land, which has been neglected for years, now offers hope to the surrounding community — and former Plato Price students, as well.

“I think it’s going to be a boom to that community,” Dr. Hoover says.

Knowing the land will be the home for multiple families brings hope to Plato Price School alumni, who also found their family behind the doors of the school.

“It makes my heart beat differently to know that now, rather than just look at an empty field, I’m going to see people with homes and with children for our future,” Nellie says.

Dr. Eddie Hoover was still a teenager when he firs

Dr. Eddie Hoover was still a teenager when he first made history — and he did it again just a few years later.

Before becoming a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Hoover was the first Black student from Charlotte to attend University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and after that was the first Black student to intern at Duke University Medical Center. But before all of his accomplishments, Dr. Hoover was just Eddie Hoover, a Charlotte native attending high school at Plato Price School.

Dr. Hoover was no less successful in high school than as an adult: He was a two-time national champion with Plato Price’s drill team, and was hoping to win his third championship when the team placed second during his junior year.

They never had the chance to compete again.

“We were looking forward to reclaiming our title ‘til they closed us down,” Dr. Hoover says.

Plato Price was more than a school for its students — it was a family. Whether they became doctors or dentists, artists or teachers, Dr. Hoover and his classmates remember their roots — and the family that supported them from the start.

When Nellie Ashford slides open the door to her st

When Nellie Ashford slides open the door to her storage unit, she’s greeted mostly by memories of her high school — but it’s not yearbooks, ‘50s records or sentimental letters she finds.

Nellie is an artist, and after her high school was shut down in 1966, she committed to preserving its legacy in her paintings.

“I tried to depict everything that went on at that school during that time because nothing was written about the school,” Nellie says.

Located in west Charlotte, Plato Price School was one of Charlotte’s four schools for Black students before desegregation closed its doors in the ‘60s. It was where hundreds of Black Charlotte natives, like Nellie, who overcame the inequalities of a segregated system, received the education that turned them into successful doctors, artists and politicians.

To honor Black History Month, we’re sharing the stories of two Plato Price alumni who represent a piece of the school’s legacy — and, in turn, Charlotte’s.

If it weren’t for the care from strangers and Te

If it weren’t for the care from strangers and Tenwek Hospital, Emmanuel wouldn’t be alive today to share his story.

Emmanuel was 6 years old when his aunt kidnapped him. He remembers seeing the stars and the moon as she carried him through the woods and led him to the place where she’d try to kill him. Two strangers noticed him in a pit on the side of the road and helped him to a nearby house, from which he was transported to the hospital.

Tenwek Hospital is a 361-bed hospital in the rural highlands of Kenya. The hospital offers primary health care to a population of over 600,000 in the greater South Rift region of Kenya and serves as the main surgery center for more than 8.5 million people.

Emmanuel spent two months in the ICU at Tenwek. 25 years later, Emmanuel is still in the hospital — but as a chaplain, not a patient. He graduated from the hospital’s School of Chaplaincy in 2008 and now serves people in the same position he was once in.

Emmanuel remembers how impacted he was by the chaplains that prayed by his side — the hope and comfort he felt from their presence.

“That is the reason, the main testimony, that I am back to Tenwek, to serve here in Tenwek,” Emmanuel says, “to serve patients to give them also that hope.”

Every morning when Malcolm Parsley leaves his home

Every morning when Malcolm Parsley leaves his home, he walks past a sycamore tree so large he can barely wrap his arms around half of the trunk. 63 years ago, the tree was just a sapling — and symbolized the start of his new life in South Korea.

The sycamore tree isn’t the only thing Malcolm has planted in South Korean soil. When he was 27, Malcolm came to South Korea with the mission to share the gospel in Seoul and throughout the country. He started multiple churches and mentored students and faith leaders, which he continues to do at 90 years old.

The sycamore tree symbolizes Malcolm’s promise to spend the rest of his life serving God through the people he meets in South Korea — and as it grows, so does Malcolm’s influence in communities throughout the nation.

Peter Cole believes in miracles — he sees them h

Peter Cole believes in miracles — he sees them happen everyday in Pucallpa, a Peruvian city on the border of the Amazon rainforest. Peter is a surgeon and the founder of Scalpel At The Cross, a medical ministry that provides quality medical care in an area that has lacked proper resources and education in the medical field.

For over 18 years, the Scalpel team has served patients suffering from traumatic injuries who aren’t able to receive proper medical attention. Rehabilitation and therapy are key components of Scalpel’s ministry, and Peter is committed to building a centralized location — a Miracle Campus — where he and his team can provide orthotics, prosthetics fabrication and physical therapy helping to mitigate the negative impacts caused by trauma for recovering patients.

The Miracle Campus will also create a space for the local medical community to share knowledge on surgical techniques and train professionals in the professions of orthotics, prosthetics and physical therapy.

An on-site chapel will be available for patients who look to Scalpel not only for physical healing, but spiritual healing, as well.

“Scalpel At The Cross is the arm of God here in Peru,” says Laines, a pastor in Pucallpa. “For many people, after going through this experience, I think that they’ll see Jesus.”

For high school athletes, wrestling either draws t

For high school athletes, wrestling either draws them in or scares them away. As a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler in college, Stan Banks is more than familiar with the sport — and he’s motivated to transform it for Charlotte-area youth.

CORE Wrestling was initially founded to give middle school kids in Mecklenburg County an opportunity to compete, but it also teaches them important values needed to succeed, such as confidence, commitment and community impact — “all the things that make you feel like you are worthy of winning, not just on the mat but in life,” Stan says. An intentional year-long schedule invests in the mental, physical and technical skills of the wrestlers, while giving them the chance to compete and build relationships with each other.

“CORE is like a brotherhood to me,” says Cole, a CORE wrestler.

Bringing together at-risk and privileged youth from different backgrounds across the county is CORE Wrestling’s vision, with the hope that the program can encourage young wrestlers to better understand and serve each other.

“Ultimately, we want them to be a positive impact on the community,” Stan says.

Stories inspire, and they’re what drive us to do

Stories inspire, and they’re what drive us to do what we do. Using video production and photography to provide visual storytelling, our goal is to empower nonprofits doing good work, while educating and inspiring viewers to take action in their local community and around the world.

Whether a story is born in the streets of Mecklenburg County or a medical center in Tanzania, we’re here to help share it in a way that humanizes and empowers those who tell it.

We tell stories that inspire. This is Silent Images.

Every time we walk into our office space, we are r

Every time we walk into our office space, we are reminded of the team it takes to make Silent Images run. We see art on the wall from friends we’ve met along the way, the pile of rocks that represent donors who have supported us, and photographs of stories we’ve been able to tell over the past fifteen years.

Every time we tell a story, our prayer is that the story inspires viewers to go, give, or pray; but that it also leaves us changed.

We hope you enjoy hearing from our team about the stories that impacted them the most over 2022.

#endoftheyear #nonprofit #filmmaking #documentary #fromwhereistand #instagood #holiday #storiesthatinspire #story #storytelling #storyteller #posthepeople

People who know Veronica today know her as an enga

People who know Veronica today know her as an engaging leader, a loyal friend and an overall happy young woman. It’s hard for them to imagine her life two years ago, when she was in and out of medical facilities due to struggles with mental health.

When people started bullying her and gossiping about her, Veronica’s mental health plummeted. She struggled with self-image, and the more people talked, the more she believed them.

“I felt like I wasn’t a worthy person, I didn’t deserve anybody and that nobody liked me,” Veronica says.

Veronica was hesitant to join Ground Zero. She couldn’t trust that this new group of teenagers wouldn’t hurt her, too. But over the first few months, Veronica was able to grow in her faith, build healthy relationships and become more confident in her identity. Less than half a year after joining the youth group, she became a student leader — and got baptized on her birthday in July.

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC, Ground Zero is a place where every teenager can go, belong and grow. Through life-changing experiences and nurturing relationships, Ground Zero makes a positive impact in the lives of today’s teenagers, cultivating their faith and transforming their futures.

“Ground Zero is a place where I belong,” Veronica says.

#documentary #documentaryfilm #filmmaking #nonprofit #video #videography #groundzero #story #storytelling #storythatinspires #storyteller #hope #redemption #mentalhealth #instagood

When De’Asia became a mom, she was out of work f

When De’Asia became a mom, she was out of work for two months. Maternity leave wasn’t enough to pay the bills, and she had to find a place for her small family to stay at. De’Asia and her son would go from house to house, packing up and leaving once she felt like a burden. She was depressed and at her lowest point.

“I was just going from house to house, feeling like a burden on people,” De’Asia says. “Anytime I felt uncomfortable, I’d just pack all our stuff up and get up and go to the next house.”

When De’Asia found The Harvest Center, she found hope. The Harvest Center is a nonprofit that offers temporary housing and other resources for individuals experiencing homelessness who want to regain their independence. Through The Harvest Center’s programming, De’Asia had access to stable housing for herself and her son, support from mentors and friends and the opportunity to grow in her faith.

De’Asia graduated from The Harvest Center, a confident leader, and is going back to school to become an ultrasound technician.

“It takes a village,” De’Asia says. “Now, I can do it. I got more confidence in myself.”

#story #storytelling #nonprofit #documentary #documentyourdays #film #video #videoproduction #clt #instagood #documentaryfilm #homeless #theharvestcenter

Mariam is a dreamer. When she was in Afghanistan,

Mariam is a dreamer. When she was in Afghanistan, she was living out her dream of being a doctor, working with the United States Army as an OB/GYN. But when the Afghan regime fell and the Taliban took over in August 2021, Mariam had to leave her dream — and everything else — behind.

She came to the U.S. and found herself in a place very different from her home. Away from all that was familiar to her, Mariam not only had to adjust to a new culture, but she also had to deal with the stress of losing her job, settling in a new home and processing the abrupt move from Afghanistan.

“Being in a new place, it was too difficult to adjust because everything was different,” Mariam says. “The culture, the environment, everything was different from my own country.”

A friend introduced Mariam to BraveWorks, a nonprofit that empowers women and families overcoming trauma through an artisan program that teaches women skills in jewelry production. Women who come to BraveWorks may be seeking to overcome situations such as human trafficking, domestic violence, incarceration or ethnic persecution. Through BraveWorks, Mariam has a community of women, supportive mentors and an opportunity to create — and with it, a physical outlet for her stress.

“Everyone shares their own culture with each other. They can learn how to adjust in a new place. They can build their own hope.” Mariam says.

Mariam’s BraveWorks community also empowers her to continue dreaming. She hopes to eventually become a doctor again in the U.S., and through BraveWorks, Mariam finds the hope and support she needs to accomplish her dream.

“BraveWorks helps us that we should know that nothing is impossible,” Mariam says. “If we have the dream, and if we can try it, the dream will come true.”

#storytelling #documentary #story #perspective #nonprofit #canon #postthepeople #ınstagood #fromwhereistand #filmmaking #portrait #video

Laines has spent the last three decades serving as

Laines has spent the last three decades serving as a pastor in Pucallpa, Perú — and he’s seen firsthand the effects of poverty on the local population. Lack of access to sufficient insurance options, economic resources and medical services has hurt the overcrowded city that often sees casualties from traffic accidents.

Before Scalpel At The Cross came to Pucallpa in 2004, Laines would meet individuals whose bones and wounds healed incorrectly because they couldn’t afford proper treatment for their injuries, and because the area’s medical systems are under-resourced and undereducated. This lack of affordable and accessible healthcare results in their inability to walk, work and live life as they did before.

“Many people don’t have an alternative,” Laines says. “Many of them stay like they are.”

For the people of Pucallpa, Scalpel At The Cross’ ministry grants them access to quality medical services they could only find in the country’s capital — a 24-hour drive away through the mountains. And in addition to the professional medical treatments, Laines sees something unique in Scalpel’s ministry that he hadn’t seen before in his 31 years of ministry: a permanent investment in the community.

“I think [the patients] could tell they were not only doctors,” Laines says, “they could see them as a friend.”

Today, Laines can pick out people walking around the city who have been served by the ministry. A certain bandage or a pair of crutches remind him of the commitment Scalpel At The Cross made to the people of Pucallpa, and the spiritual transformation he’s seen in the lives of those around him.

“There are many hardened hearts — like everywhere, there are also ones here too,” Laines says. “But a misfortune that happens in your life, an accident or whatever, makes you put your eyes on God.”

When a young man on Porsha’s caseload was murder

When a young man on Porsha’s caseload was murdered two years ago, she couldn’t just put everything on hold and take time to mourn. She had to keep going — to be there for the kids who needed her.

Porsha is a social worker with Congregations for Kids (CFK), a nonprofit that provides the Charlotte area with opportunities to support children, families and social workers in the foster care system. As a social worker, Porsha supports kids and families, showing up in times of crisis and being someone they can rely on and trust.

Being a social worker is hard. The U.S. has consistently seen high turnover rates among social workers, averaging between 30-60% annually. But through CFK, Porsha receives encouragement from community members who inspire her to continue interceding for Charlotte’s vulnerable youth. Encouraging notes, snacks and goodies, prayer and a listening ear are all things members of the Charlotte community can offer social workers like Porsha to remind them of the importance of their work and give them the appreciation they deserve.

“I don’t do this for anybody but the kids,” Porsha says. “I wouldn’t change what I do for anything because I know that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing … I think this is what I was put on Earth to do.”

One of our filmmakers, Jacob, left for South Korea

One of our filmmakers, Jacob, left for South Korea this week to tell a unique story: his grandpa’s.

Malcolm Parsley has been a missionary in Seoul for 63 years. He first came to South Korea with the goal to bring people to Christ and plant churches throughout the country. At 90, Malcolm continues to bring others into a relationship with God and serves as a mentor for future leaders of the church.

Swipe to see photos from Jacob visiting his grandpa, Malcolm, as a child.

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