Long-Term Trust. Tight Timeline. Leadership Reveal.
When you’ve worked with an organization for nearly two decades, the phone calls feel different.
Baptist Health has been my longest-standing client. I’ve worked alongside Cindy Hamilton, Vice President of Corporate Communications, since 2008 — documenting expansions, service line growth, leadership initiatives, and the steady evolution of a health system that continues to raise its own standards.
So when Baptist began preparing to open the new Center for Professional Excellence and Simulation Lab, I was honored to get the call.
This project wasn’t simply about unveiling a new building. It was about communicating culture — and doing it on a compressed timeline.
The Ask
Joanna Licherdell, Director of Social Media & Strategic Content, reached out as plans were coming together for a leadership event. The new Education Center needed to be introduced internally in a way that felt confident, forward-thinking, and grounded in Baptist’s values.
An agency had developed the initial script, and there had been early discussion about bringing in a crew from out of town. Instead, Baptist chose to keep the project local — leaning into an existing relationship and a production partner who understood the tone and nuance of their brand.
That kind of trust carries weight. Especially when time is short.
Shaping the Creative
I brought in Johney Birrell to help produce the piece. Beyond logistics, Johney played a key role in shaping the creative direction — refining the script, breaking it into something shootable within a single day, and helping define the visual tone.
He also directed the piece on set, guiding department heads and educators — real people, not actors — in delivering their lines in ways that felt natural, grounded, and meaningful.
That distinction matters.
When you’re asking healthcare professionals to step into a storytelling role, the delivery has to feel authentic. The audience can sense when something is overly rehearsed or forced.
Our goal was clarity and confidence — not performance.
More Than a Real Estate Tour
The facility itself is impressive. More than 42,000 square feet dedicated to learning and development, with a simulation lab five times larger than its predecessor. Operating rooms modeled precisely after those in Baptist hospitals. ICU, NICU, pediatric, emergency, and primary care environments built to mirror real clinical settings. Even a full ambulance complete with working lights and sirens.
It would have been easy to film it like an architectural walkthrough.
We chose not to.
Instead of hovering outside the action, we placed the camera inside it. Wide lenses positioned close to educators and team members. Subtle push-ins to create forward momentum. Lines delivered in active training environments rather than pulled aside into quiet corners.
There was no traditional voiceover recorded later. The narrative was captured on site, in real time, by the people who lead and teach within the space every day.
That choice gave the film weight.
A One-Day Execution
We had a single production day to move through eight environments — from CPR simulations in the emergency department to neonatal scenarios in the NICU, from med-surg observation rooms to the operating room and finally out to the ambulance training bay.
To execute at that pace, I brought in a crew I trust deeply.
Jon Whitford shaped light in tight clinical spaces. Hillary Warren ensured talent looked natural and confident on camera. Thomas Amason captured clean audio in environments that were anything but quiet. Jon Noeth and Chase Dela Cruz supported the constant resets and transitions the schedule demanded.
When you’re moving quickly inside spaces built for high-fidelity medical training, clarity and communication matter more than scale.
The Crew
Healthcare productions of this scope rely on a team that understands both pace and precision.
Director of Photography / Executive Producer: Michael LeGrand
Director / Producer: Johney Birrell
Gaffer: Jon Whitford
Audio: Thomas Amason
Camera Assistant: Jon Noeth
Makeup Artist: Hillary Warren
Production Assistant / Swing: Chase Dela Cruz
Client: Baptist Health
Lighting Without Overpowering the Space
Simulation labs are bright by design — evenly lit, clinical, clean. Our goal wasn’t to transform the environment into something dramatic. It was to subtly shape the existing light so the space retained authenticity while gaining dimension.
Compact, bi-color fixtures allowed us to match ambient color temperature and add direction without calling attention to the lighting itself. In tight rooms, flexibility mattered more than size.
Healthcare audiences know what their environments look like. If it feels artificial, credibility drops instantly.
This needed to feel true.
The Premiere
The film debuted at a Baptist leadership event just before the center officially opened.
I later heard it received a standing ovation.
That’s always gratifying. But what mattered most was knowing the piece reflected the pride Baptist leadership felt about the investment they had made — not just in a facility, but in the ongoing development of their 15,000 team members.
What This Project Represents
For Baptist, the Center for Professional Excellence represents preparation — the belief that exceptional patient care begins long before a clinician enters a room.
For me, this project represents longevity and trust.
Working with an organization for nearly 20 years builds intuition. It allows you to move decisively when timelines compress. It creates a shorthand in communication. It fosters expectations that are high — and mutual.
Healthcare storytelling isn’t loud.
It’s deliberate. It’s disciplined. It’s built on credibility.
And when it’s done well, it doesn’t just announce a new space.
It reinforces who an organization already is — and who they’re becoming.
