Meredith Yinger ’15 and Natalie Perez ’15, continuing the Jesuit mission of social justice, have founded She TV Media, LLC — a production company focusing on stories of triumph and social justice missions. Yinger, who double-majored in communication studies at LMU, excitedly pitched the company idea to Perez, her former classmate and cinematographer, about a year and a half ago. Since then, the two SFTV alumnae have worked on commercials, online video content, TedX Talks, narratives and documentaries.
In partnership with LMU’s Incubator lab and Film Independent, She TC Media is now taking on a documentary series. Their project, Scars Unseen, follows six men and women who have overcome domestic violence, including the lesser-heard voices of minorities and former abusers. “A lot of documentaries, like the R Kelly one, demonize the abuser,” said Yinger. “We don’t want people to sympathize with them, but to understand how they got there. Then we can also understand the process.” The project aims to break the cycle of abuse by drawing attention to the healing process and focusing on how to overcome the trauma. “Domestic violence is so common, affecting 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men,” said Yinger. “And it’s cyclical; when you talk to abusers, they were often abused themselves. So, we need to understand why this happens and how to overcome it.”
Yinger and Perez were inspired to begin this journey after meeting Trish Steele, founder of Safe Passage, a nonprofit that assists women and children who have experienced domestic violence to safety and a new life, at a networking event. Steele spoke about her own experience in an abusive relationship and the work her company does to secure safe, new lives for women and their children. “We knew immediately that we wanted to work with her,” said Yinger. “She’s such an inspiring women who just emits love.” She TV, LLC began by making event videos for Safe Passage until they were inspired to make a documentary about her story, which later snowballed into a series idea. “We met a lot of other people through her, and realized that a series would be more impactful,” said Yinger.
The project is currently in pre-production stages, though they hope to begin shooting in late spring. After which, the series will go on to festivals and community screenings to help spread awareness and create conversations. They are currently seeking tax-deductible crowd funding to help make the project a reality.
Check out their campaign page: www.scarsunseen.com
She TV Media, LLC: www.shetv.me
