Jon Michaels: A Story of Voice, Music & Resilience
Embedded Files
A documentary-style healthcare video sharing the personal journey of songwriter and musician Jon Michaels through head and neck cancer. Through powerful interviews, music, handwritten notes, and cinematic visuals, Jon's story highlights strength, courage, reflection, and the power of connection.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Jon Michaels: A Story of Voice, Music & Resilience is a documentary-style healthcare story centered on Jon Michaels, a songwriter and musician, and the personal and emotional impact of head and neck cancer. The video uses a mix of interview footage, musical performance, handwritten notes, quiet personal moments, and cinematic b-roll to create a human-centered narrative about resilience, reflection, and connection.
Visually, the project blends intimate interview setups with performance footage and atmospheric details, including instruments, handwritten pages, personal messages, and location-based b-roll. The result is a polished patient-story video designed to feel personal, respectful, and emotionally grounded while supporting Merck’s broader healthcare storytelling work.
Role
Associate ProducerRole
Project Type
Patient Story / Documentary-Style Corporate Video / Healthcare StorytellingProject Type
Organization
MerckOrganization
Locations
Normandy Hotel, Blue Bell, PA, and Merck Upper Gwynedd OfficeLocations
Length
4:22Length
PROJECT GOAL
PROJECT GOAL
The goal of the video was to help tell a meaningful story that connected the medical subject matter to a real human experience. Rather than relying only on informational messaging, the piece was built around emotion, memory, performance, and personal reflection.
The production needed to capture both structured interview content and cinematic supporting visuals across two locations while maintaining a smooth workflow from pre-production through post-production and final delivery.
MY ROLE
MY ROLE
As the Associate Producer, I was involved across the full production phase and supported the project from planning through post-production handoff. My role combined production coordination, on-set support, media management, contributor logistics, and post-production preparation.
PRE-PRODUCTION
PRE-PRODUCTION
Before the shoot, I helped organize the logistics needed to keep the production running smoothly across both locations: the Normandy Hotel in Blue Bell, PA, and Merck’s Upper Gwynedd office.
Created the call sheet and production book for the shoot.
Helped track project scheduling and flag potential issues around timing, deadlines, and logistics.
Coordinated building access registration for crew members filming at Merck’s Upper Gwynedd office.
Assisted producers with booking the conference room for the solo performance portion of the video.
Assisted with booking the hotel room used for the interview section.
Helped prepare for shoot needs, including location pickups, returns, props, crafty, and gear requirements.
Coordinated production logistics so crew members had the correct access, space, and resources before filming.
Supported production management with preliminary budget needs under supervision.
Assisted with production paperwork, including Fair Use agreements, contracts, and releases for production management review and approval.
Helped capture and track notes related to shot lists, script notes, continuity, b-roll needs, props, artwork, and Fair Use visuals.
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION
During the shoot, I supported the crew in multiple on-set capacities, including Grip, Runner, and Media Wrangler. I contributed to the production environment by helping with lighting, setup, movement between locations, crew support, and media organization.
Supported the creative production team throughout the shoot.
Assisted with lighting design and on-set setup.
Helped with load-in and strike.
Worked as a runner to support real-time production needs.
Supported the capture of necessary b-roll, props shots, artwork shots, and Fair Use-related visuals.
Tracked continuity issues during production.
Helped ensure the crew stayed organized between the Normandy Hotel shoot and the Upper Gwynedd shoot.
Supported both interview-style filming and performance-based filming.
Assisted with production needs across field and controlled office/studio-style environments.
POST-PRODUCTION & MEDIA WORKFLOW
POST-PRODUCTION & MEDIA WORKFLOW
After production, I supported the post-production workflow by organizing and preparing the recorded media for editors and senior producers.
Wrangled video and audio media after the shoot.
Organized files according to Merck Creative Studios naming conventions.
Structured media folders by production category, including b-roll, Normandy Hotel shoot, and Upper Gwynedd shoot.
Ensured all recorded media was clearly labeled, organized, and ready for editing.
Uploaded media to Evolphin Zoom.
Embedded precise metadata into uploaded assets.
Created transcripts in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Applied subtitles to final deliverables.
Supported timely delivery of final videos to senior producers.
Helped ensure assets were properly archived and accessible for future use.
CREATIVE APPROACH & STORYTELLING
CREATIVE APPROACH & STORYTELLING
The video’s creative direction focused on personal storytelling, emotional detail, and cinematic pacing. The visuals show both public-facing performance moments and quieter private reflections, creating a layered portrait of the subject’s experience.
Interview footage to provide personal context.
Musical performance to add emotion and character.
Handwritten notes and personal details to create intimacy.
Location-based b-roll to ground the story visually.
IMPACT
IMPACT
This project strengthened my experience as an Associate Producer by allowing me to support a healthcare storytelling project across every major phase of production. I contributed to logistics, location coordination, crew support, media management, subtitles, transcripts, and post-production organization.
The project also reflects my ability to work in emotionally sensitive storytelling environments while maintaining strong production structure, attention to detail, and reliable delivery standards.
TOOLS & PLATFORMS
TOOLS & PLATFORMS
Adobe Premiere Pro
Evolphin Zoom
Merck Creative Studios naming conventions
Call sheets
Production book
Shot lists
Script notes
Release forms
Fair Use documentation
Metadata workflows
Transcript and subtitle tools
Media logs and folder organization systems
DELIVERABLES
DELIVERABLES
Organized production media for editorial use.
Uploaded and tagged media in Evolphin Zoom.
Created transcripts in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Applied subtitles to final video deliverables.
Supported final delivery to senior producers.
Helped maintain an organized archive for future access and production reference.
SKILLS DEMONSTRATED
SKILLS DEMONSTRATED
Associate Producing | Production Coordination | Call Sheets | Production Books | Grip Support | Runner Support | Media Wrangling | Lighting Support | B-Roll Coordination | Location Logistics | Crew Access Coordination | Continuity Tracking | Transcripts | Subtitling | Post-Production Workflow | Digital Asset Management | Metadata Tagging | Healthcare Storytelling
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
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