Student's films capture “good in action”
An Illinois College senior is using his skills to share the positive stories of the Jacksonville community through the recently launched Good Does Good campaign.
Alan's ability to turn an idea into a beautiful visual using his own style and techniques was mind-blowing to both us and the different organizations that we are partnered with for this campaign.
Good Does Good is a campaign sponsored by the Jacksonville-based company, Serious Lip Balm. Owners Khara Koffel and Megan Luckey wanted to create an online platform that could share values of their business. Their start-up grew from Koffel making lip balms to gift to her son’s daycare teachers into a thriving business that today offers more than 70 scents of lip balms and a growing number of other skincare items.
“We were astounded when so many people from the community came forth to help and support us. We wanted to return the favor to our community by supporting it in any way possible,” said Koffel. “It's a way of putting good out into the world to spread positivity as well as hopefully inspire others to do the same.”
Alan Shawgo ’18 was introduced to Koffel through his work with Illinois College Career Services, and learned about the opportunity to produce a series of videos that would highlight some of the local groups connected to the new platform.
The marketing major who graduates this month, has completed three internships while at Illinois College — with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, IC’s Office of Marketing and Communication and Route 3 Films in St. Louis. He credits that hands-on experience, along with guidance from IC faculty like Professor of Business Administration John Drea, for helping him gain the confidence to tackle more professional challenges with his own business, Shawgo Studios.
“I have done projects like this on my own through IC, but those were smaller scale. This was the first for my own client with my business,” said Shawgo. “I really used what I learned last summer in my internship (with Route 3 Films). That experience definitely propelled me into this project.”
The videos that Shawgo created for the Good Does Good platform tell the stories of Jacksonville’s Elm City Center, which connects disabled people with opportunities to work and gain independence; the Triple Heart Foundation, which donates books for families with children in the NICU; and the Jacksonville Public Library’s bookmobile, which provides kids with new and exciting reading materials to keep them motivated to read all summer.
“I really enjoyed telling the story of Good Does Good through this content and raising awareness for what Serious Lip Balm is doing. It’s promoting the values they believe in and the idea that the small things can make a difference,” said Shawgo.
The concept of promoting “good” with his work is nothing new for Shawgo. He has worked on several pro bono films to highlight environmental issues while interning with Route 3 Films, who he will work for after graduation, plus his business donates a portion of every photo session to Pablove Shutterbugs to fight childhood cancer.
Shawgo is already making a big impression with his professionalism and adaptability, showcasing a variety of skills photography, video editing, social media and graphic design. Koffel said his work brought the concept of Good Does Good to life while capturing the qualities of each individual organization.
“Alan's ability to turn an idea into a beautiful visual using his own style and techniques was mind-blowing to both us and the different organizations that we are partnered with for this campaign,” said Koffel. “He was able to fit in a variety of different situations and really see what made each one noteworthy and then communicate those characteristics. It was exactly what we wanted.”
To view Shawgo’s video and learn more about how the Good Does Good platform is working to make a difference in the community, visit www.gooddoesgood.com.