Film & Media
Documenting Creative Practice with Depth, Care, and Cultural Respect
David’s film and media work supports meaningful, artist-centered storytelling that amplifies cultural truth and celebrates creative excellence. With a focus on projects rooted in community, identity, and artistic legacy, David has helped shape narratives that bring visibility to underrepresented stories. His experience spans film features, documentary production, and editorial collaborations with outlets including The New Yorker, CBS News, and BBC World Service. These efforts deepen public understanding of contemporary art and the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans.
Artist-Centered Storytelling
David’s approach to media production begins with deep listening and long-term collaboration. His work supports artists in telling their stories with agency and integrity, foregrounding the cultural, historical, and personal layers that shape their practice. Whether documenting creative process or legacy, David’s storytelling work is grounded in trust, clarity, and a commitment to honoring the communities artists come from.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
International Arts Documentary Film
Follow the White Rabbit show stories of creativity driven by passion and dedication regardless of recognition, age, gender, class or race. These are journeys filled with inspiration, frustration, heartbreak and beauty. The documentary proposes diverse and intriguing narratives tied together by the same overriding compulsion of artists to create.
SHORT FILM
Film in Contemporary Art Exhibition
This film represents the working process of the Black Masking Indian Chief and beading artist, Demond Melancon. It was commissioned for his retrospective exhibition at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary art South Carolina, USA. Demond is also an artist central to our upcoming feature documentary Follow The White Rabbit.
SHORT FILM
Cultural Storytelling in Fashion
Big Chief Demond Melancon is a New Orleans native needle and thread artist. Big Chief is well known for creating massive Suits as a Black Masker. His Suits are sculptural forms based on the size of his body which are composed of intricate, hand-sewn beadwork revealing a collective visual narrative. In 2025, after a four-year creative journey with Tremaine Emory, Big Chief Demond Melancon’s legacy inspired the globally resonant Denim Tears x Levi's® Season 4 Collab, merging the Black Masking Culture with contemporary fashion.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Award-Winning Documentary Short
An intimate portrait of Big Chief Demond Melancon’s obsessive journey through the secret 200-year culture known as the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans. The documentary short touches on the social and cultural significance of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans with an observation on the many ways the city is changing. This film was accepted into over 40 film festivals in 12 countries and nominated for Best Short Film at the Berlinale and Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival, two of most prestigious film festivals in the world. With key grand prize wins at three Oscar-qualifying film festivals in Seattle, Rhode Island, and Australia, this documentary short went on to be qualified for an Academy Award in 2020.
Editorial Media Features
David has produced and supported major editorial features that elevate the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans and its connection to global contemporary art. His collaborations with artists and media outlets bridge cultural heritage with contemporary expression, resulting in stories that resonate with wide audiences while remaining rooted in place. From short-form features to full-length documentaries, his work celebrates the complexity and brilliance of Black creative traditions.
EDITORIAL FEATURE
CBS Sunday Morning in New Orleans
Big Chief Demond Melancon is a New Orleans native needle and thread artist. Big Chief is well known for creating massive Suits as a Black Masker. His Suits are sculptural forms based on the size of his body which are composed of intricate, hand-sewn beadwork revealing a collective visual narrative. In 2025, after a four-year creative journey with Tremaine Emory, Big Chief Demond Melancon’s legacy inspired the globally resonant Denim Tears x Levi's® Season 4 Collab, merging the Black Masking Culture with contemporary fashion.
EDITORIAL FEATURE
BBC World Service Podcast
An intimate portrait of Big Chief Demond Melancon’s obsessive journey through the secret 200-year culture known as the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans. The documentary short touches on the social and cultural significance of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans with an observation on the many ways the city is changing. This film was accepted into over 40 film festivals in 12 countries and nominated for Best Short Film at the Berlinale and Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival, two of most prestigious film festivals in the world. With key grand prize wins at three Oscar-qualifying film festivals in Seattle, Rhode Island, and Australia, this documentary short went on to be qualified for an Academy Award in 2020.