Olivia joined the HOME Storytellers team as our new Impact Producer a few weeks ago and we couldn't be happier to have her with us. She helps us design and implement the impact strategy for when the film is ready. This means distributing the film to the right places, fundraising, managing partners, and making sure we accomplish our impact goals. We wanted you to get to know her, so we prepared some questions for her to answer.
Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Olivia. I am currently based in Barcelona but was born and raised in Germany to immigrant parents. My mother is Polish and my father is from Montenegro former Yugoslavia. They both left their home country due to economic and political pressure when they were in their mid twenties. I have a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a Masters in Humanitarian Aid. For the last two years I was working as a freelance translator together with a little voice in my head, which was my daily reminder of my strong desire to start working in the humanitarian sector again. Well, this little voice finally turned off as I recently started working as an Impact Producer at HOME Storytellers.
What would you say best describes you?
Dedication, Curiosity, Multiculturalism, Demanding
If you had to list your top 3 values what would they be?
Justice, Generosity, Humor
How did you discover home Storytellers?
Alejandra and I share the same co-working space. One day, we randomly began to chat and she told me about a project called HOME Storytellers that she and her dad started recently. It caught my attention right away. As Alejandra continued to give me more details about Home Storytellers and showed me their first documentary “Hot Dogs on a Tricycle” I immediately knew that I wanted to become a part of this great project.
Why did you want to be part of the HS team?
While I was working as a freelance translator, the feeling of restlessness was constantly pursuing me. I felt that I was not doing what I feel most passionate about and the outcome of my work was not contributing to what I considered were relevant topics within our society.
I feel a strong sense of responsibility to do something about the suffering and injustice in the world and always wanted to provide at least a tiny little contribution to tackle those issues through my work. This is why it was always clear to me that sooner or later I would come back to the humanitarian sector.
When Alejandra told me about the beautiful vision and mission of HS, it seemed like the perfect match. I love the authenticity behind their story, their dedication, the professionalism to their work and above all, their genuine and strong desire to have a positive impact on the refugee crises. All this made it clear to me that I would love to support them on their mission.
How do you feel visual storytelling can make social change?
The 21st century has become one in which traditional television, newspapers, radio etc. are not the main source of information anymore. Netflix, Youtube, Facebook are now the big players in the information landscape and they influence the way people deal with information. This is why I believe that visual storytelling is a cutting-edge approach to spread relevant messages and to make positive change in society.
I also believe that visual storytelling through personal stories, as HS tells them, are especially powerful, because they allow to build empathy on a more deeper level, involving audiences directly and therefore prompting them to engage and act.
Moreover, positive imagery and uplifting storytelling generates hope. And I remember somebody working in the development sector once saying to me that those with the most hope have the most influence.
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