The first class of RISE Up professionals are emerging across the country, completing the Retail Industry Fundamentals course and entering or reentering the workforce with a leg up. Our team went to Baltimore to capture the stories of a small group of “learners” going through and completing the RISE Up curriculum. Dylan and Sarah identified and got to know a few of these faces, like Asia Thomas, a mother of seven looking to begin a new career to support her family. Or David Townes, a former heroin addict looking for a new opportunity and professional redemption.
Rise Up Origin Stories
At the beginning of the year, we helped the NRF Foundation launch a brand new training and credentialing program called RISE Up. Through a series of retail success stories, the video campaign was able to talk about the importance of recruiting new professionals without actually highlighting RISE Up graduates… until now.
Casting a New Class


A New Beginning (and a Happy Ending)
Although our time with these individuals was short, Rob crafted an empowering arc that saw our characters complete the Retail Industry Fundamentals, attend a hiring fair and get interviews or even job offers. The unique color grading alters Jun and De’von’s b-roll footage with the same treatment applied to RISE Up’s other marketing materials. The empowering edit ends with title cards that reveal the participants whereabouts — something that you would find at the end of an uplifting biopic, suggesting that RISE Up allows for that comeback story so many crave. This was part of a series of videos that debuted at the massive annual convention NRF 2018, launching a new iniative to help reframe retail.
Meet the Team
Rob Kramer
As our Associate Creative Director, Rob Kramer leads the animation team and directs a range of client projects. With his suite of production and design skills, he creates one-of-a-kind styles that seamlessly mesh with your narrative.
Sarah Wides
As Senior Producer & Project Manager, Sarah Wides handles some of our largest projects and oldest clients. Her attention to detail, passion for video, and thorough production experience consistently generate incredible results.
Jun Young Yang
Jun is the Director of Photography for LAI Video. His sharp eye and even sharper focus have earned him a reputation as an industry-leading cinematographer. He started his career freelancing before becoming a staple on the LAI Video team.
James Loizou
James Loizou leads the team at LAI Video, building the Emmy® Award-Winning agency from scratch over the last 15 years. His innate balance of creativity and methodology guides our team forever forward towards innovation.
James Favata
As the Vice President of Creative at LAI Video, James offers his docu-style and motion graphics expertise to transform brands and campaigns. He’s won numerous accolades, including two Emmy® Awards as a Director, for his incredible storytelling and vision.
Helena Lehman
Helena is Leading Authorities’ Senior Vice President of Client Services, responsible for growing business among its clientele of national associations and corporations. During her 25 year tenure with LAI, she’s built relationships across diverse industry groups and identified common needs in content strategy and communications.