Kim Smith | Driven

The Driven campaign is an award-winning video series sponsored by Scott Clark Auto Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our mission in this series is to showcase the wonderful people of Charlotte, and what drives them.

In this video within the series, we focus on Kim Smith: founder of ‘A Chance to Dance.’ A Chance to Dance is a performing arts program that touches the lives of children, teens, and young adults with special needs by providing accessible dance education, dance training, and experiences in the warts with an emphasis on building confidence and friendship. But, we decided to start the video with Kim, because it is her drive and passion that is the reason why ‘A Chance to Dance’ exists today. Kim is a mother, a dancer, and a dance teacher. The film opens on B-Roll of students dancing in the studio, with Kim’s voice coming on in a voice over. “We are inclusion at its best. We are exactly what inclusion should be.” Then, Kim introduces herself as a mother, dancer, and dance teacher (in this order).

Kim Smith’s A Chance to Dance story begins with the unexpected birth of her daughter, Reagan, when Kim was 42 years old. And, soon after, Reagan’s autism diagnosis. Kim witnessed people she thought were her friends gradually drift away and saw how few opportunities were available for her daughter and other children with disabilities. She realized something needed to change. Rather than accept those limitations, she chose to create the change herself. A Chance to Dance was born from her determination to build a place where Reagan, and countless other families impacted by disabilities, could feel welcomed, supported, and included.

Using interviews with students, footage from inside dance classes, and intimate moments shared between children and their parents, we weave together a portrait of the profound impact A Chance to Dance has on everyone it touches. Beyond the studio, we also enter Kim's home, documenting the realities of caring for a child with a disability. This includes one of Reagan's anxiety-induced vomiting episodes, a deeply vulnerable moment that offers an honest view into the challenges Kim and her family navigate every day. By juxtaposing these private moments with the joy and belonging fostered within the dance studio, we highlight both Kim's drive and the extraordinary role A Chance to Dance plays in supporting families throughout its community.

• Campaign creative direction
• Narrative strategy & documentary production
• Interview footage
• Still photography
• Long-form story content