Volunteer Highlight & Recruitment

Client: Chancellor Fire

Role: Creative Director, Photography, Animation

Skills Used: Photoshop, After Effects

As a volunteer firefighter with the Chancellor Community Fire Department (CCFD), I was thrilled when the team asked me to create a series of videos highlighting each volunteer. It was an incredible opportunity to showcase the amazing people who dedicate their time to keeping our community safe—and, even better, inspire others to join the department. CCFD wanted simple videos to introduce their volunteers, but I saw a bigger opportunity. Why not create content that not only introduced these everyday heroes but also served as a powerful recruitment tool? The team loved the idea, and we got to work.

The Approach

1️⃣ Show, Don’t Tell
Each video included the volunteer’s name, years of service, and their full-time occupation. This subtle touch showed that volunteering is not only possible alongside a regular career—it’s rewarding.

2️⃣ Catchy and Bold Design
Knowing attention spans on social media are short, we kept the videos bold and dynamic. The bulk of the details lived in the Facebook post, while the videos were designed to stop the scroll.

3️⃣ Visual Direction
To nail the creative vision, I used Midjourney AI to explore visual ideas. Once the concept was locked in, I grabbed my bunker gear, staged a quick photo shoot, and created storyboards to guide the process.

With my bunker gear on, I took several photos in the studio, focusing on small, incremental movements to create a frame-by-frame motion vibe. Each image was then brought into Photoshop, where I roto-scoped myself out of the background and created clean cutouts.

From there, I imported the sequence into After Effects to assemble a PNG sequence, giving the animation a unique, stop-motion look. The result added a handcrafted, personal touch to the videos while making the visuals stand out even more.

With the stop-motion sequence integrated, I added bold graphic elements, finalized animations in After Effects, and worked with “The Chicken” to create a custom sound mix that brought everything together.

The videos we’ve completed so far are eye-catching, energetic, and perfectly aligned with CCFD’s mission. They not only highlight the incredible volunteers but also spark interest in joining the department.

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