Meet William

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful William. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with William below.

William, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

“My purpose didn’t appear in a vacuum; it was forged over nine years of work at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. In the early 2000s, I faced a recurring frustration in public health marketing: the visual language of the industry completely erased the people we served. The stock photography and generic videos of that era had no reflection of the vibrant LGBTQ and POC communities walking through our doors. I realized that if we wanted our patients to feel seen, we had to create the mirror ourselves.

I took the initiative to create and launch the ‘People of Callen-Lorde’ photoshoots, turning our lens inward to feature the actual staff and patients who made up our community. The impact was immediate and profound—seeing the light in people’s eyes when they saw themselves represented with dignity transformed the way we connected. That success evolved into my role as Director of Creative Media, where I spent nearly a decade championing authentic storytelling.

Eventually, I realized this purpose was too big to be contained within the walls of a single organization. I felt a pull to expand that mission of visibility to the broader world. That was the catalyst for starting my production company: to take the lessons of empathy, representation, and community I learned at Callen-Lorde and scale them, ensuring that unheard voices everywhere have a platform to tell their own stories.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am the founder of William of Nazareth Productions, a multimedia production company specializing in Public Health, Social Justice, and Modern History. Our mission is simple but urgent: to elevate the voices of historically marginalized communities through high-quality, impactful media. We don’t just create content; we create mirrors for communities that have been erased or misrepresented for too long.

We offer a full spectrum of production services designed to meet communities where they are. This includes producing documentary films and documentary series that explore complex social issues, designing public health and awareness campaigns that drive real engagement, and producing original podcasts that provide a platform for deep conversation. We also offer media and public speaking workshops to train community leaders on how to share their own stories effectively.  

What makes our brand special is our approach to ‘Community-Centered Collaboration’. We ensure that the storytellers and creators come from the communities being represented, guaranteeing authenticity. My philosophy is that we must create media that solidifies the truth that ‘we existed, we lived, and we thrived’, ensuring that our history and presence can never be questioned or ignored.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are Deep Listening, Empathetic Storytelling, and Extreme Organization.

1. Deep Listening: My time as an HIV and STI test counselor was the ultimate training ground for this. I spent years providing a safe space for patients to share their most vulnerable moments. That experience taught me that listening isn’t just about hearing words; it’s about creating an environment of trust. As a producer and director today, that skill is essential. Whether I am interviewing a subject or working with a client, I need them to feel safe enough to be authentic. You cannot tell a powerful story if you haven’t first listened deeply to the truth of the person living it.

2. Empathetic Storytelling: My storytelling ability is rooted in the personal understanding of what it feels like to be ignored—to see your community’s history erased or misrepresented. This drives my philosophy to ‘cherish and protect’ every story I tell. It makes me a better editor and photographer because I am not just capturing content; I am preserving a legacy. I approach every project with the mission to ensure that the people on screen feel seen, validated, and respected.

3. Extreme Organization: Creativity requires structure. My organizational skills were forged in the fire of managing non-profit program budgets and staff while simultaneously juggling full-time work and full-time school. That rigorous background allows me to handle the complex logistics of running my own production company. Being a great producer means managing multiple projects, budgets, and direct services simultaneously without dropping the ball.

Advice for those early in their journey: Develop your ‘soft skills’ as rigourously as your technical ones. Learn to listen before you pick up a camera; the technical skills of lighting and editing can be taught, but the ability to make someone feel safe is a practice you must cultivate. Secondly, embrace organization as a tool for creativity—having your logistics in order gives you the mental freedom to be truly artistic. Finally, find your personal connection to the work; when you treat stories as legacies rather than just ‘content,’ the quality of your work will naturally elevate.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal clients are mission-driven businesses, non-profits, and organizations that are actively delivering care, services, and support to LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. These are partners who understand that ‘Public Health’ and ‘Social Justice’ are not just buzzwords, but daily practices that require authentic representation.

Specifically, I look for clients who:

Value Authenticity Over Optics: Organizations that want to move beyond performative diversity and are ready to engage in ‘Community-Centered Collaboration,’ ensuring that the stories told are true to the lived experiences of the people they serve.

Seek Measurable Impact: Leaders who understand that media is a tool for equity. They don’t just want a video; they want a campaign that drives engagement, changes perceptions, or influences policy.

Respect Legacy: Partners who align with the philosophy that our communities ‘existed, lived, and thrived,’ and who trust us to protect and cherish those narratives while amplifying them to the world.

Ultimately, my ideal client is a business, non-profit, or organization that sees media not just as marketing, but as a vital extension of the care, services, and impact they provide to their community of clients and the world at large.

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