WELCOME.US
BE A WELCOMER CAMPAIGN
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

Welcome.US is a national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower
Americans to welcome and support those seeking refuge here and help them thrive.

ROLE: Client Lead, Director of Storytelling, Lead Producer, Director
The Soze Agency
(Associate Director of Strategy: Anjali Gupta)

AUGUST 2021 | AFGHANISTAN

On August 15, 2021, Kabul, Afghanistan, fell to the rule of the Taliban. We remember the visuals on our televisions, the packed C17s, people running across the tarmac, and parents handing their children over the airport walls. All of this in hopes to reach freedom, safety, and sanctuary. People who were involved in these large-scale evacuations were relocated to many destinations, the U.S. being one. Once landed, the U.S. didn’t have infrastructure in place to welcome these newcomers. We relied on so many volunteers and mobilizers to provide translation services and donated goods to assist with this abrupt, historical moment.

Twenty days later, Welcome.US was founded with a mission to unleash the desire and capacity of Americans to welcome newcomers and help them thrive. In partnership with local and national resettlement agencies, diaspora organizations and leaders, refugees, community sponsorship groups, nonprofits, businesses, faith-based institutions, veterans, universities, four former Presidents and four former First Ladies, Welcome.US is a single point of entry for Americans who want to get involved and support those who are starting new lives in the United States.

“The hardest moment when we left Afghanistan was when we left our families there. My mother, brothers, sisters, all siblings. And also when we came to the Kabul airport and we had witnessed some of our friends and family members were shot by the Taliban on the way to the airport. So, that was the hardest moment or me when me… when I left Afghanistan."  

- Mahtab, newcomer mother of two, Denver, CO. ^ Portrait above. 

2022 | WORLD REFUGEE DAY | CHICAGO

Production Partner: Squadra Entertainment

On June 20th, 2021, Welcome.US commemorated their first World Refugee Day in Chicago,IL. As the lead creative producer, I commissioned a 30ft x 6ft “lightbox.” Each letter is made from plexi which allows for attendees to leave a message of welcome to refugee newcomers in the U.S. At night, the letters light up which makes for a spectacular sight. The lightbox was set up over the course of five days in Chicago’s prominent location, Pioneer Court.

FEBRUARY 2022 | UKRAINE

On February 24, 2022, war broke out in Ukraine. Without warning, millions of people had to escape bombings, some going underground, some fleeing. Families were displaced and people lost their lives. As humanitarian paths out of the country opened, men of fighting age were forced to stay behind, and women had to flee the country, often times leaving either their husbands or oldest sons behind.

2022 - 2023 | STORIES OF WELCOME SERIES

In partnership with Welcome.US, we documented the stories of families coming to the U.S. seeking refuge from war and crisis within their home countries. In this content series, we tell the stories of how families and communities are coming together all across the U.S. to welcome newcomers, providing safety, security, and a fresh start. The videos are meant to inspire and empower more Americans to step up and become sponsors. 

Through these production shoots, we captured multicam footage, b-roll, drone shots, and still photography to create a full content package for Welcome.US. These packages created multiple pieces of static and video content to be used across Welcome.US’s social media channels, email newsletters, and press outreach. 

The Stories of Welcome series has been marked as some of the top performing content on their social media channels because people can see themselves in the stories and in the solution that is private sponsorship.

Production | The Soze Agency x Kennetic Productions, Editor | Zoë Miller
Photographers: Luis Velez + Sindy Gonzalez

2023 | WORLD REFUGEE DAY | PHILADELPHIA

On World Refugee Day 2023, Welcome.US joined the Welcome America Festival in Philadelphia, PA to uplift and celebrate everyone’s opportunity to #BeAWelcomer to refugee newcomers in the U.S. Welcome America is one of the largest free festivals in the country. World Refugee Day was part of sixteen days of family-friendly events across the city, with a focus on arts, culture, diversity, education, wellness, history, and performance. 

We sparked curiosity through buzzworthy activations and interactive storytelling, while spotlighting relatable, meaningful pathways for participation to transform that curiosity action.

Within Love Park, we created a “Story Neighborhood” installation – celebrating the scope and scale of the national effort to welcome newcomers while also highlighting the local communities that make welcoming possible. These physical house-like structures were populated with life-size portraits of Welcomers and Newcomers, and resonant quotes about welcoming – highlighting stories we’ve captured along the way, while being representative of all populations we are serving - including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua.  

We also featured the #BeAWelcomer lightbox, encouraging attendees to write messages of welcome on the installation, which was made out of plexiglass that lit up at night. 

Over the course of the day, we saw over 10,000 people visit Love Park and leave 1,600+ messages on the installation. The event attracted local broadcast media including NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS and Telemundo affiliates.

Production Partners: Squadra Entertainment (Lightbox), Lucky Dog Studios (Story House Fabrication)
Photographers: Leslie Gamboni + Zoë Miller, Videographers: Douglas Lau + Darby Irrgang