Chicago Open Doors
Chicago Open Doors uses immersive VR to bring audiences into intimate Chicago spaces, breaking barriers and centering community stories from the inside out.
Imagine cooking tortillas in abuelas kitchen or sitting on the stoop of a neighborhood matriarch listening to the stories of the community, standing backstage in a theatre as actors prepare to take the stage, walking down the street with a horse on the West Side and participating in animal therapy, being in the boxing ring with youth learning emotional regulation. These unique Chicago experiences are one of the many you'd be able to choose from in the immersive VR Experience of (Working Title) Open Door Chicago.VR breaks down walls and brings people into an experience with intimacy. Giving them a front row seat to cultural biography while telling the stories of artists, community makers and everyday citizens that make the tapestry of our city world class. In an increasingly divisive world, film demystifies communities through storytelling. VR takes that one step further by allowing the participant to feel as if they are sitting directly with the person telling the story. That connection is powerful. It is one I am exploring.
This short film was nominated for a NTAS Midwest Emmy in the short branded film category. It is the work I am most proud of. I will be bringing similar stories to life. After more than 25 years as a documentary filmmaker working on deadline, on budget, and in service of others’ visions—Chicago Open Doors is the first project fully of my own design. It allows me to apply the full scope of my experience while expanding my practice into immersive VR, a medium that aligns deeply with my values around intimacy, access, and ethical storytelling. The stories I want to tell are of the community I've built over that time, some my literal neighbors. They are beautiful souls doing brilliant work and I want to bring that to the screen in a new way with VR.
I am seeking funds to create a proof of concept film.
This project is important to my career because it represents a turning point from commissioned work to authorship. After more than 25 years as a documentary filmmaker working on deadline, on budget, and in service of others’ visions—Chicago Open Doors is the first project fully of my own design. It allows me to apply the full scope of my experience while expanding my practice into immersive VR, a medium that aligns deeply with my values around intimacy, access, and ethical storytelling. The stories I want to tell are of the community I've built over that time, some my literal neighbors. They are beautiful souls doing brilliant work. I am requesting funding to produce a proof-of-concept film. The grant funds will be used specifically to purchase the camera body and dual-fisheye lens required to capture high-quality 180° VR footage. This equipment is essential to producing an immersive experience that feels intimate, embodied, and accessible. Purchasing the gear, rather than renting, is the most cost-effective approach given the extended development, production, and testing period required for VR, and allows the project to move efficiently from proof of concept to full series production without repeated funding delays.
The immediate goal of this phase is to select one story from an existing list of trusted community relationships and create a five-to-eight-minute VR proof-of-concept film. Potential subjects include: a West Side animal rescue offering youth animal-assisted therapy, a storefront theatre company rehearsing an original work, or a youth boxing program designed to support emotional regulation and interrupt violence. All stories are co-created with participants through a consent-based, collaborative process that ensures agency, dignity, and ethical representation. Longer-term goals include securing funding for a six-part series, hosting community-based VR engagement events in libraries, schools, coffee shops, and cultural centers, and developing free educational materials for CPS educators. The project is designed to bridge social, geographic, and perceptual divides by bringing Chicagoans into shared experiences across neighborhoods and lived realities. Success will be evaluated through purchasing of gear and the completion of the proof-of-concept film. As a lifelong Chicagoan, CPS graduate, and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of experience, I bring deep relationships, proven production expertise, and a long-term commitment to telling Chicago stories with care. City funding ensures this work remains public, accessible, and community-centered—investing not only in an innovative artistic project, but in the people and narratives that make Chicago strong.