Jeff Collins videography

Success through storytelling

BYUH alumni say Jeff Collins’ ability to connect emotionally through films makes them impactful By Alexander Tumalip

Jeff Collins said he has always had a passion for video making, but considered it a hobby until he entered the 2020 Faith Counts video competition. After receiving an honorable mention in the highly competitive contest, he credited his success to his time at Ke Alaka‘i for allowing him to develop his creativity and talent.

According to its website, Faith Counts is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization comprised of faith communities representing nearly 100 million Americans, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every year, the organization holds a video contest, which highlights “how faith changes lives, relationships and communities for the better.”

Collins, a 2015 BYUH alumnus, said when his cousin invited him to enter the video contest in August 2020, he wasn't interested, explaining videos were his hobby, not his job. Yet, he was still intrigued because of the contest’s aim, he said, and the organization’s goal to promote faith in society. “I thought, ‘If I can create a good video, I can impact somebody’s life.’”

The organization awarded Collins an honorable mention for his video submission. Collins credited his cousin’s encouragement for his award. “There are numerous entries, so the chances of winning awards are remote,” he said. “My cousin’s convincing made me step out of my comfort zone. I could have made up multiple excuses, but I decided to go for it.”

Fellow BYUH alumnus, Reid Crickmore, said Collins lets his videos speak for him. “Jeff’s creativity really comes out when he gets into it,” he said. “He has the talent to go against the best of the best, but it was at Ke Alaka‘i he began to expand his creative horizons. You can clearly see the impact it has had over time.”

Another fellow alumnus, James Astle, said Collins was an example of someone who never focused on himself despite having tremendous talent. “The way the story came together and how he found the individual was perfect,” he said. “Being able to use his own raw talent was so cool to see.”

Collins explained his submission was the story of a refugee from Uganda named Bob Okot, whose father was killed by rebel fighters, then he lived in refugee camps, and was eventually selected to come to America. The video used ocean tides to outline the challenges in adjusting to life in the United States and relying on faith. “Life’s hardships are like the tides,” he explained. “Even in our hardest times, the tides will rise again, and things will get better.”

Collins’ award winning video used ocean tides to outline the challenges refugees face when adjusting to life in the United States. Photo provided by Jeff Collins.

The way the story came together was Collins’ favorite part, he said. He recalled how his father started a nonprofit organization in San Diego to assist refugees in transitioning to life in the United States.

“I have heard so many amazing, yet tragic stories of their upbringing in their native countries,” he said. “Some were born into difficult circumstances, often surrounded by chaos or war. Often, people think when refugees arrive they are out of harm’s way, but they are faced with entirely different challenges.”

Astle said the storytelling element is a critical part of making films. “The goal of storytelling is to make someone feel something. How you do it is your decision,” he said. “We become who we are through stories, whether it is our own or someone else’s.”

Collins shared even though the story was great, the biggest challenge was putting the script together. “I spent time interviewing my subject and writing down all the details, then fitting it all into two minutes,” Collins recalled. Even though time was short, Collins said it still worked out great. He said the easiest path to making the video was to use the defining moments in his subject’s life.

Collins said his defining moment in making videos came when he was at BYUH. Collins said he started getting into video making about six months before he joined Ke Alaka‘i. Crickmore said Collins would do GoPro videos when the two went surfing at Pounders Beach, and they also did weekly

Collins’ said he interviewed the subject of his video, Bob Okot, (pictured above) and put together a script. Photo provided by Jeff Collins.

newscasts loosely based on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.”

One project Collins recalled doing with Crickmore was a story about a group of crosscountry runners who sang in the locker room at BYUH.

Life's hardships are like the tides.

Even in our hardest times,

the tides will rise again,

and things will get better.

- Jeff Collins

“There was a lot of personality on the cross-country team back then, and they used to call themselves the Lilikoi Boys,” Crickmore recalled, adding one of the runners on the team once ran the entire coast of Peru.

However, he said the video came when BYUH was deciding whether or not to cut the athletics program. “Sports gave the university something to enjoy,” Crickmore said. “We wanted to do something to unite the community and provide comedic relief in a bittersweet moment.”

According to Collins, that video received an award from the College Media Association, which boosted his confidence. Crickmore said the award was unexpected. “Jeff texted me one day and said we won an award, and I could not believe it,” he said. “To see an idea come to fruition and have people appreciate it that much was an incredible feeling.”

Astle also said he worked with Collins on multiple projects, including a time-lapse for another news competition. “It did not feel like work,” Astle explained. “We were constantly thinking about how to create the story of “ BYUH in different places and times.”

The collaboration taught them how filmmakers express their own ideas, Astle added. He said he and Collins used different locations around campus, like the library and the cafeteria, to capture the diversity of the BYUH student body and the unique setting of the campus.

Astle said that video also received an award. “To be recognized with an award, it gives you energy,” he said. However, to him, the greatest reward is seeing people be inspired, he explained. “It affirms to you maybe what you are doing is important.”

Crickmore remembered joining Ke Alaka‘i with Collins in 2013. “I was working in the bookstore and was looking to do something “ different,” he recalled. “I enjoyed writing at the time, and [Collins] wanted to express his creativity.”

Crickmore said he had known Collins since they were young, growing up 45 minutes away from each other in Encinitas, Calif., a small suburb outside of San Diego. He said they became roommates while at BYUH, but at the Ke Alaka‘i, he saw Collins’ talent firsthand.

Crickmore credits Collins’ growth to Leeann Lambert, the current advisor at Ke alaka‘i and an instructor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters.

“Jeff used his time to expand his current horizons and that came because of Sister Lambert,” he recalled. “She provided the tools, like Adobe, video equipment and layouts, and that produced amazing talent like Jeff.”

Astle said he joined the magazine in 2015 and worked with Collins for two semesters. Like Crickmore, Astle said Collins’ talent impacted him the most.

“Jeff was always super humble, and he would never tell you what he was doing,” Astle said. “He is such an easygoing person, yet he is willing to try new things.”

Astle also credited his time at Ke Alaka‘i for his ability to create media, including his recent Amazon Prime documentary, “Rolling Moments.”

“They gave us all the resources we needed to succeed, and that is such a blessing,” he said. “We were always encouraged to be as creative as possible, and Ke Alaka‘i has always found a way to tap into every person’s creativity.”

Collins said his honorable mention award from Faith Counts was more significant than any award he received at Ke Alaka‘i. “The competition was so intense,” he said. “The organization notified me when I entered the top 10, and hearing I was selected out of 900 entries was surprising, yet exciting.”

Crickmore said even though he made videos when he was surfing and skateboarding in his hometown, he never had the passion Collins has. “Jeff can literally bring an idea to life,” he said. “You feel immersed in it emotionally, especially in his video submission for the contest.”

To Collins, that emotional connection through storytelling makes films what they are.

“That’s what makes me feel successful: If someone is able to feel something, like sadness, happiness or motivation,” he said. “The market for films may be competitive, but it comes down to the story you share.”

To see Jeff Collin's video "Faith in Tides" see here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8scpIBkV-Zk.

BYUH alumnus Jeff Collins, right, is pictured with Bob Okot, the subject of his award-winning video, a refugee from Uganda. For Collins, a successful video is one that makes the audience feel something. Photo provided by Jeff Collins