[Case Study] Detroit Summer Learning Institute (DSLI), Part I

Sometimes the best projects come from unexpected places. In July 2026, I took on a new challenge: teaching a 5-week filmmaking course for social media to kids grade 5th-8th, at the Detroit Summer Learning Institute (DSLI). I hadn't taught in a traditional classromm environment, but the programing director, had seen my vlogs as well as my previous work. She believed my passion for filmmaking would translate well to the classroom, so I jumped in without overthinking.

Since I naturally always had my camera on me, staff and people in the building began noticing. What started as a teaching gig quickly evolved into a dual role when the program directors asked me to produce two official videos for the program. This case study focus on the first: a fast-paced, ~60-second recap sent directly to the students' families to show them the impact of the summer.

Teaching kids in a traditional school setting is an unfamiliar area for me, but picking up a camera and telling a story felt right at home. Balancing the two roles meant I had to be incredibly intentional with my time. The directors wanted something that proved to the parents that their kids were not only safe and having fun, but actually growing and learning.

DSLI Teacher Joseph Cyrus helping one of his students with school work during his 4th Grade ELA class.

The Opportunity

• The Role: Teaching social media filmmaking to middle schoolers for an intensive 5-week summer program.

• The Pivot: Transitioning from a first-time teacher to the program's unofficial (and then official) filmmaker.

• The Goal: Creating an engaging video that showcased the fun, the learning, and the vital statistics of how DSLI helped the kids.

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The original script and shot list for the DSLI Family video. The script got tweaked slightly as well as the shot list, per usual.

The scope for this specific video was tight, mainly because I still had to teach my students filmmaking. We needed to pack five weeks of energy, education, and hard data into just one minute. It had to be fast enough to hold attention on social media and in emails, but emotional enough to resonate with the families watching it. We also knew right away that we didn't just want generic music and text. We wanted the video to sound like the people who ran this program, so what the parents heard sounded familiar.

The Scope

• Primary Deliverables: A tight 60-second recap video designed specifically for the parents and families of the students.

• Visual Tone: High-energy and authentic, heavily focused on capturing students' genuine joy and academic growth.

• Secondary Project: A ~5 minute documentary-style video focusing on the teachers (more on that in a future post).

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To make sure DSLI's true fingerprint was all over this video, we brought in Stacey Brown-Smith and Keavin Smith (no relation) to do the voiceovers. They were familiar faces and voices who usually spoke directly to the parents, so having them narrate the recap added an immediate layer of trust and warmth. Getting all of this done while still running my own classroom meant. extending my days significantly, but the extra effort was worth it.

VO artist Kevin Smith on the left

And VO Artist Stacey Brown-Smith in the center

I got plenty of footage of my students in their class. It was great to be able to teach my students filmmaking as well as to feature them in the videos. I wanted to take advantage of not only their willingness to be on camera, but double dip my time whenever I had the opportunity.

The Approach

• Always Rolling: I kept my camera in hand constantly, capturing candid moments of learning and fun between my own teaching duties.

• Authentic Voices: We recorded Stacey and Keavin on site, utilizing the leaders the parents already knew and trusted to anchor the videos narrative.

• Extra Hours: During the last two weeks of the program, I came in early and stayed late almost every day to ensure I captured every necessary shot.

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https://video.wixstatic.com/video/f8cc9e_539c098cc36f4e4197d4a6dd5289ebd3/720p/mp4/file.mp4

My take on the original script. I do VO, but considering the audience, I knew this was going to be something that would resonate more if one of the voices that the parents heard often on the phones and in person. Stacey and Keavin did a wonderful job! This helped them figure out the flow of the read since neither one of them do extensive VO work.

Shooting in a live environment full of middle schoolers is unpredictable. I had to adapt a run-and-gun style of filmmaking, grabbing B-roll whenever my class was occupied or during transition periods. Recording the voiceover was another unique challenge. I originally did the scratch track of the voiceover, and I thought I had a good read, but I didn't quite capture the energy needed. Also, finding a quiet space in a very busy summer program required some creative problem solving and impromptu audio setups.

We never knew where we would be recording VO, so I would travel with my microphone isolation shield just in case. We'd set up in classrooms or in offices in order to get a good read, and the shield helped with the loudness a school can bring.

Behind-the-Scenes Process

• Run-and-Gun Production: Balancing daily lesson plans for my students with capturing professional-grade footage across the entire facility.

• Impromptu Audio Setups: Finding quiet moments and isolating spaces in a loud summer program to record clean, impactful voiceovers.

• The Edit: Weaving together 5 weeks of classroom footage, hard data and stats, and the comforting voices of the program leaders.

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The Final 45-second video did exactly what it needed to do. It gave families a beautiful, high energy window into their children's summer, backed by the comforting voices of Stacey and Keavin. For me, the project was a massive success on two fronts: I delivered a peace of content the directors loved, and I discovered how deeply rewarding it is to teach my craft to the younger generation.

https://vimeo.com/1218182485/6f059227db?fl=pl&fe=sh

The final video that was sent to the families!

The Outcome

• Family Connection: The families received a highly polished, emotional recap that encapsulated what their children experienced.

• Brand Identity: By using the actual program leaders for the VO, the video felt incredibly personal and distinctly "DSLI".

• Personal Growth: I successfully managed a dual role, proving I could handle full video production while stepping out of my comfort zone to teach.

Credits

Creative Direction: Teach Michigan

Brand Producer/Program Director: Stacey Brown-Smith from Teach for America

Producer: Stacey Brown-Smith

VO Artist: Stacey Brown-Smith

VO Artist: Keavin Smith

Filmmaker: Brandon Reeves

Editor: Brandon Reeves

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(Stay tuned: I'll be dropping another case study soon on the 5-minute documentary we put together, which dives into how DSLI acts as a "mock school" to help train and uplift the teachers!)