I record to inspire.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to film in Eastern Africa. One afternoon I had a conversation with a native Kenyan about his father, a gifted composer and guitar player. For years the man wanted desperately to make a recording of his father's music, but was never able to do so. 

"My father died with his music in his head" the man told me. 

In the last decade a tremendous power has been given to persons around the world. Through personal cell phones, digital cameras, computers and social media, millions of individuals have been given the power to record.

As a filmmaker, I record to inspire. I have a desire to capture stories that motivate, spread positive influence and are accessible to all who seek it.

issac@recordtoinspire.com   |   801.698.5784

Filmography

Temple Square (2016) On a blistering summer’s day in 1847 Brigham Young and a handful of followers walked around the unknown landscape of what they hoped would be a new homeland in the American West. Conflict and hardship were behind them, distanced by an overland trek from which they were still recovering. Unknown conflict and hardship would lie ahead. But on that July day Young walked confidently to a spot a short distance from the camp of his fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and said simply, “Here.” So begins the uneven, inspired, conflicted and purposeful history of a location that would become the centerpiece of the Utah experience. A place imbued with symbolism that has continued to this day. On that afternoon in 1847 Young outlined his vision for a spiritual gathering place that quickly became known as Temple Square. 

Richard Richards: A Conversation on Ethics (2015) Just weeks before the Watergate break-in, an up-and coming political organizer was offered a senior position at CREEP. Richard Richards had arrived at its headquarters in Washington for an introductory meeting, but it wasn’t long before he sensed something was amiss, and he refused the job and walked out. Over the next decade, Richards’ integrity and hard work helped him climb the political ladder, until he reached its pinnacle. In 1980, with the endorsement of President Ronald Reagan, Richards was elected chair of the republican national committee. 

The Air We Breathe (2014) Salt Lake City has made national headlines due to a wintertime inversion that has created some of the most polluted air in the nation. The Air We Breathe takes a close look at the causes of this bad air and what challenges it has for Utah's citizens, businesses and government.

Brigham Street: Salt Lake City's Grand Boulevard (2013) It's a street unlike any in the American West - a boulevard of grand proportions - the home of governors, senators, mining magnates, religious leaders and merchants. From 1800 to the 1930's, the vast majority of Utah's wealth resided here in the most opulent neighborhood the region had ever seen.

Salt Lake City: A Downtown Story (2012) In the heart of Salt Lake City, two city blocks reflect more than 150 years of the Utah story. On planners maps they are known as blocks 75 and 76, and over the years they have been built up, torn down and built again.

Street Vets (2011) Over 100,000 United States military veterans experience homelessness each year. Street Vets is a powerful documentary that is a culmination of a year-long chronicling of the life of 10 homeless veterans. The film takes viewers into the largely invisible world of homeless veterans and the difficult, but hopeful, pathways home. Street Vets is currently being distributed to homeless and transitional housing programs across the country.

God in Utah (2010) Produced In conjunction with the national series God In America, God in Utah shares the stories of several unique Utah religious figures and how their faith enables them to contribute to the community. They include Father Omar Ontivernos, a Hispanic Catholic Priest of the Salt Lake Diocese; Noor Ulhasan, a Muslim member of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable; and Alex Boye, popular African-American recording artist and soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Uintah United (2009) In 1922 a small Utah town was rocked with the news that the local school principal had shot and killed one of his students. Shocked and deeply divided by the event, the community of Uintah broke apart. The film focuses on the remarkable influence of the principal’s successor, Golden Kilburn, who masterfully transformed the lives and behavior of a gang of troublesome boys and healed a community.

Ogden: Junction City of the West (2008) Only weeks after the joining of the transcontinental railroad, the transfer point between the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads was moved to Ogden, Utah. Overnight the small farming town became the two companies' official Junction City and no traveling passenger would cross the country by rail without stopping in Ogden.

Painting a City (2006) As the ambitious son of a coal miner, sign painter Blaine Richards followed a dream and shared his artistic talent with the masses. Though done on brick and not canvas, much of his sign work survives on the sides of buildings up and down city streets.

Michael: The Story of a Shaken Baby (2000) documents the tragic story of Michael Caulford, a thirteen year old boy who suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome since his infancy. In is shown nationally in public schools and Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention programs.