Outdoor Afro’s national Making Waves Program is a game-changer for how Black communities engage with water. It is heartbreaking that black children 10-14 years old drown in swimming pools at a rate nearly 8 times higher than white children, a disparity linked to higher rates of not knowing how to swim. Through Outdoor Afro’s program they have taught over 3000 kids across America how to swim so they can feel safe and even thrive around water. By teaching swimming and water safety skills to youth and families it saves lives and builds cultural confidence, joy, and intergenerational connection.
When Outdoor Afro needed to scale the visibility of this vital work, they brought in Techboogie to lead a full-scale visual campaign. Our team provided cinematic video production, commercial photography, and a content package designed for use across digital platforms, print, and future marketing initiatives. They needed this multi-platform visual campaign that would emotionally resonate, function across various media channels, and serve as a foundation for ongoing storytelling.
This case study highlights how we helped bring the story of Making Waves to life on land, in water, and across media.
Client Background: Who is Outdoor Afro?
Outdoor Afro is a trailblazing national nonprofit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. With a presence in over 60 cities, the organization empowers Black communities to engage with the outdoors whether through hiking, conservation, or aquatic education.Their Making Waves program is a cornerstone initiative that aims to train 1,000 Black youth and their caregivers in swimming and water safety. It’s a radical reimagining of who belongs in water and why it matters.
Our Creative & Technical Approach
The challenge? Everything had to be captured on-site with youth participants in and around water, while preserving the spirit, energy, and emotional depth of the program.
We traveled to St. Louis as the primary production team, JJ our founder was serving as Director of Photography and Editor for the campaign. From the start, we envisioned a cinematic and immersive storytelling approach. It was important to develop a visual storytelling approach that centered on joy, movement, and authenticity.
Midway through production, the Outdoor Afro client lead had to step back due to a family emergency. With no pause in the schedule, our team adapted swiftly, sourcing a local Producer that was a great fit for the team. We arranged for the client to participate remotely during interviews, using video conferencing to maintain creative oversight and provide real-time feedback.
To truly capture the Making Waves experience, we filmed in and under water—using specialized underwater camera rigs and protective housings. This allowed us to:
- Follow youth as they swam, splashed, and played with freedom.
- Document swim instructors interacting with families in real-time.
- Create immersive footage that places viewers right in the pool.
These images were captured with long-term brand use in mind—for websites, fundraising campaigns, printed materials, and PR needs.
Deliverables
The scope of our deliverables included two hero highlight videos—one crafted for web viewing, and another designed specifically for social media distribution. We also provided a comprehensive raw content package, empowering Outdoor Afro to cut and re-use footage for future education, marketing, and fundraising efforts. Additionally, we delivered a suite of commercial still photography, suitable for use across the following year’s promotional materials.
All materials were delivered on schedule and formatted for multi-platform use.
Results & Impact
What made this campaign especially meaningful was its resonance. We were capturing both content and a movement. With our creative direction, we emphasized Black joy, strength, and freedom in spaces where those qualities are too often erased. The underwater shots, the laughter between siblings, the pride in a parent’s eyes, all of it spoke volumes.
The campaign rollout significantly expanded Outdoor Afro’s reach and gave them tools to tell a more vibrant, emotionally resonant story of what Making Waves truly means. It was an honor to be part of it.
- The web and social highlight videos were widely shared by Outdoor Afro, supporters, and partner organizations driving engagement and reinforcing the power of the Making Waves message.
- The commercial photography has since been used in national campaigns and will continue to support the organization’s brand visibility for years to come.
- Our seamless production process earned trust and praise from the client.
Most importantly, the campaign gave voice to an essential story: that Black children deserve to be safe, confident, and celebrated in water.
Why It Matters
Sure, video and photography freeze a moment in time, but they can also change perception, build movements, and elevate truth. For nonprofits like Outdoor Afro, working with a creative partner who understands both the technical craft and the cultural stakes is everything.
This project is a testament to Techboogie’s ability to lead national campaigns with care and creativity, solve production challenges under pressure, and deliver versatile, branded media content that lives well beyond a single event.
Need a Partner to Tell Your Story?
Whether you’re launching a new initiative, scaling your impact, or capturing moments that matter, TechBoogie brings stories to life through powerful visuals and thoughtful strategy. To explore more of our national visual storytelling work, visit our Cinematic Storytelling Service Page. Ready to bring your mission to life through powerful media? Reach out and let’s talk.
Let’s collaborate. Contact us to start your next campaign.
