Project Goal: The We are NANA video seeks to educate the viewer about the events leading up to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the formation of NANA Regional Corporation in 1972. I created the video concept after taking a graduate course on Alaska Native policy from Willie Hensley at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Professor Hensley is largely considered the father of the ANCSA and he is a NANA shareholder.
Constraints/Challenges: The history of ANCSA and NANA requires educating the viewer about the history of Alaska. The challenge in creating the video was finding creative ways to compress the story. Additionally, as a non-Alaska Native person, it was imperative that I worked to find ways to involve Professor Hensley and NANA shareholder-employees in the project creation to ensure accuracy of facts and authenticity of voice.
Solution: Working with a talented team of shareholder employees, Channel Films, and Professor Hensley, we co-created a product that checked all the boxes. It is concise, compelling and creative.