“When I tell people what I do, I get asked quite a bit if I get nervous when traveling to war-torn countries. The answer is usually no. The more I meet people and build relationships, the less scary the world becomes.” –Ashley Gutierrez
Our newest project is a celebration of fearless youth who move forces greater than themselves. We believe the most influential and world-changing people have the clarity to discover their purpose and the bravery to follow it without hesitation. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing a few stories from people we know who are living boldly, compassionately and fearlessly. We hope they’ll inspire you to jump first, fear later.
Meet Ashley Gutierrez
We got to know this brilliant photographer and filmmaker when she started as a member of our creative team, bringing awareness to the LRA conflict through visual media. Now, her career has taken her all over the world in search of powerful and important stories.
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When I begin to feel too comfortable in life, I know it is time to take a leap of faith. If I am afraid of doing something, it usually means I am heading in the right direction.
During years of traveling and filming for Invisible Children, dozens of humanitarian crises were brought to my attention. It was incredibly hard to leave a team and a cause I love to step out on my own, but could not shake my inner voice urging me to expand my focus. So I decided I wanted to help in the best way I know how: telling stories.
I create short films and documentaries for non-profit organizations and socially-conscious brands. Countless organizations have incredible field programs and development teams, but they lack internal resources focused on media and marketing. It is beyond rewarding to work on campaigns for organizations doing truly impactful work; to create media that drives their mission, spreads awareness and increases donations. A well-told story can propel cyclical life change, for both the audience and beneficiary. Awareness leads to action, and action is a catalyst for change.
When I tell people what I do, I get asked quite a bit if I get nervous when traveling to war-torn countries. The answer is usually no. The more I meet people and build relationships, the less scary the world becomes. War and atrocity are humanized.
I’d say the biggest risk with my job is not knowing where or when the next job will come, but I have learned to take everything in stride. There are trade-offs. I’ll take a bit of instability to be able to do hot yoga at any time of the day, but then again… maybe that’s just me?
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