As Long As I Got You
Producer / Editor / Sound Engineer
From idea to social movement
What began as an idea to capture a day in the life of Grammy award-winning music producer, Khari “Needlz” Cain, became a movement to reduce the disparities in Autism diagnosis and treatment for African American youths.
As a Grammy award-winning music producer, he’s one of the industry’s most sought-after talents. As a father, he leads the charge in finding better treatment and educational opportunities for his daughter Makayla, who’s been diagnosed with a rare form of autism. “As Long as I Got You” follows the life of Khari “Needlz” Cain, and the love he commits to his career and his family.
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Makayla Moving Autism
African American children are 5.1x more likely to be misdiagnosed with conduct disorders before being correctly diagnosed with ASD, while white children are typically diagnosed 1-1.5 years before African American children. In partnership with Needlz and his family, we launched our documentary along with a GoFundMe to raise $350,000 for the “Makayla Moving Autism” tour bus. This mobile experience would offer clinical testing, therapeutic sessions, and educational resources and support for families and children with autism. Traveling throughout Atlanta and to rural communities of Georgia, the bus would bring awareness and resources to underserved populations who deserve treatment and care.
My Roles
Crafted budget and partnered on pitching for executive support.
Close collaboration with director to determine shooting priorities.
Coordinated shoots between Atlanta and LA.
Captured the quality audio of a dynamic music producer in live recording and producing sessions, as well as on-location interviews.
Logged hours of observational footage and sound, then crafted the 13 minute narrative, picture and sound design through over 250 rounds of revision to reach the final piece.
Led the film through a final round of sound design with an external vendor.
Collaborated with designer and animator to incorporate graphics.
Edited the film’s trailer, and continued on to produce and record a series of follow up capture for the Makayla Moving Autism movement.