TODES VEJIGANTE
Preserving Heritage Through Story
The Challenge
Cultural preservation against erasure
In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the community of Loiza, Puerto Rico faced a dual threat: the physical devastation of the storm and the economic forces of gentrification pushing out generations of Afro-Caribbean cultural heritage. El Ancon de Loiza needed to establish itself as a community center for job training and cultural preservation, but first, people needed to care.
The challenge: build a campaign that would generate awareness, funding, and sustained support for cultural preservation, not through charity messaging, but through the power and dignity of the culture itself. The traditional vejigante coconut masks of Loiza, symbols of resistance against oppression for centuries, became our strategic anchor.
Our Approach
From research to resistance in five phases
Research & Cultural Immersion
Embedded with the community in Loiza, Puerto Rico to understand the post-Hurricane Maria landscape: the economic pressures, the cultural erasure, and the role of vejigante mask traditions as symbols of resistance. This research became the foundation for every creative decision.
Campaign Strategy
Developed a two-phase strategy: a documentary released through Puerto Rican artist networks and Latinx influencers to build awareness, followed by Proyecto Todes, a Miami activation amplifying LGBTQ voices within the Afro-Caribbean community. Each phase built on the last.
Documentary Production
Produced and directed a documentary capturing the intersection of tradition, identity, and resilience in Loiza. The film centered the community's own voices and stories, distributed through social media to reach diaspora audiences.
Photography & Exhibition
Created a portrait photography exhibition featuring 12 Afro-Caribbean subjects across diverse genders, ages, and beliefs. Subjects held machetes and labor tools; displayed against indigenous plants and Hurricane Maria debris in Miami's Wynwood arts district.
Immersive Event Production
Produced a multi-sensory event combining video mapping installations, live bomba drumming and dance, limited edition merchandise, and mobile payment fundraising. Every element was designed to turn attendance into action.
The Solution
Culture as the campaign itself
Rather than producing traditional fundraising content, we made the culture the centerpiece. The documentary gave voice to the community’s own story of resilience. The portrait exhibition confronted audiences with the faces and tools of people fighting to preserve their heritage. And the immersive event, with live bomba drumming, video mapping, and vejigante masks on display, turned passive sympathy into active participation.
Proyecto Todes extended the campaign into Miami, amplifying LGBTQ voices within the Afro-Caribbean community and broadening the conversation beyond disaster relief into intersectional cultural preservation. Every touchpoint was designed to convert attention into lasting support through merchandise sales, mobile payment donations, and social sharing by message ambassadors.
Campaign Gallery
Portraits, exhibition & community
The Result
Real impact, lasting support
- Spike Lee purchased original vejigante masks from the exhibition
- Knight Foundation provided recurring grants for continued programming
- El Estuario partnered to build an onsite water purification system
- Documentary reached diaspora audiences through artist and influencer networks
- Campaign established El Ancon as a cultural center for job training and preservation
Capabilities
The production toolkit
Documentary Production
Full production pipeline from story development and filming to editorial and distribution across social platforms.
Portrait Photography
Studio-quality portraiture shot on location, printed and exhibited at gallery scale in Wynwood.
Video Mapping
Projection mapping installations that transformed the event space into an immersive cultural experience.
Social & Digital Strategy
Influencer outreach, ambassador programs, and social media distribution targeting Puerto Rican and Latinx audiences.
Have a story worth telling?
Let’s build a campaign that turns your mission into movement through research, strategy, and powerful content.