Power Builders

Power Builders is a documentary series created with Inatai Foundation, highlighting community leaders across Washington who are building power from the ground up. Across the series, Humxn Media helped tell stories of organizers, advocates, and artists whose work is shaping a more just future for their people and places. The Emmy-nominated series centers a different person and organization in each film, while forming a larger story about what power looks like when it’s built through care, culture, relationship, and long-term commitment.
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Ginger Ewing / Terrain

A profile of Ginger Ewing and Terrain’s work using art as a gathering place for community connection, collaboration, and shared imagination in Spokane.

Taffy Maene-Johnson / UTOPIA Washington

A portrait of Taffy Maene-Johnson and UTOPIA Washington’s work creating space, safety, advocacy, and joy for transgender, fa’afafine, and gender-diverse communities.

Edgar Franks / Familias Unidas por la Justicia

A story rooted in the Skagit Valley, following Edgar Franks and the work of organizing farmworker communities around dignity, voice, and collective power.

Jaelynn Scott & Bryanna A. Jenkins / Lavender Rights Project

A story with Jaelynn Scott and Bryanna A. Jenkins on Black Trans liberation, movement leadership, and the joy that keeps justice work alive.

Process

Our approach to Power Builders was rooted in listening first.

Before filming, we worked closely with Inatai’s team and each featured leader to understand their story, their work, and the community context around them. From there, we shaped each profile around the person at the center — their voice, their rhythm, and the deeper purpose behind what they do.

On production days, we captured interviews, vérité moments, community spaces, and visual details that helped each story feel specific and grounded. The goal was never to make every piece feel the same. It was to create a connected series where each film had its own life, while still belonging to the larger Power Builders story.

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The final series gave Inatai a powerful body of storytelling assets that could live across their website, social platforms, presentations, and public communications.

More than a collection of profiles, Power Builders became a visual archive of the people and organizations shaping change across Washington. The films helped make Inatai’s power-building work feel human, specific, and deeply connected to the communities leading it.

The series went on to receive a regional Emmy nomination, reflecting the care, craft, and trust behind the work. Together, the films show that power is not only built in institutions or campaigns. It is built through relationships, culture, care, and the people committed to moving their communities forward.

Results

Maria Fernandez / ELLA Adelante

A profile of Maria Fernandez and ELLA Adelante’s work supporting Latina leadership, civic voice, and community-led change in Central Washington.

Paul Tabayoyon / APIC-Yakima

A story connecting Filipino history in the Yakima Valley to the present-day work of organizing, memory, and racial justice.

Sam Lee / Asians for Collective Liberation

A portrait of Sam Lee and Asians for Collective Liberation’s work creating space for Asian communities in Spokane to organize, belong, and build political power.

Cleveland Harris II / Community First Whatcom

A story of Cleveland Harris II and Community First Whatcom’s vision for a more equitable Whatcom County, rooted in belonging, safety, and shared responsibility.

Kim Rinehardt / Mason County HOST Program

A profile following Kim Rinehardt through Shelton and the community-rooted work of care, equity, and racial justice in Mason County.

Van Dinh-Kuno / Northwest Refugee & Immigrant Services

A story about Van Dinh-Kuno’s work supporting refugee and immigrant communities while opening pathways for civic leadership across Northwest Washington.

Santana Rabang / Children of the Setting Sun Productions

A portrait of Santana Rabang and Children of the Setting Sun Productions, where storytelling becomes a way to carry memory, Indigenous values, and deeper understanding forward.

Behind the series was a collaborative production process built on trust, flexibility, and care. This behind-the-scenes piece offers a look at how the Power Builders stories came together — from interview setups and community locations to the small moments between takes that shaped the feeling of the work.

Power Builders: Behind the Scenes

Services

Content Development & Strategy

Worked with Inatai to shape the creative approach, identify story priorities, and build a consistent framework for the series while allowing each profile to feel distinct.

Production

Filmed interviews, b-roll, community spaces, and vérité moments across multiple locations, with a documentary approach centered on presence, trust, and care.

Post-Production

Edited the series into a flexible set of documentary profiles, social assets, and supporting videos that could be used across Inatai’s digital and communications channels.

More work

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Power Builders

Power Builders is a documentary series created with Inatai Foundation, highlighting community leaders across Washington who are building power from the ground up. Across the series, Humxn Media helped tell stories of organizers, advocates, and artists whose work is shaping a more just future for their people and places. The Emmy-nominated series centers a different person and organization in each film, while forming a larger story about what power looks like when it’s built through care, culture, relationship, and long-term commitment.
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