Recovery Cafe
Recovery Cafe Network
This brand film introduces the Recovery Cafe Network (RCN), a training and mentorship initiative dedicated to scaling the "community of belonging" model across the nation. The narrative outlines RCN’s two-year support sequence, illustrating how they provide the logistical tools and clinical training necessary for local leaders to establish sustainable recovery spaces. By documenting the network's collaborative approach, the production highlights how RCN bridges the gap between clinical treatment and long-term, community-based healing.
Fundraising Film
Created for the "Standing in the Gap" luncheon, this impact film traces the 25-year legacy of the flagship Recovery Cafe Seattle, through the lens of its founders and members. The production captures the transition from isolation to leadership, documenting how the "Recovery Circle" model empowered individuals like Esmeralda and Cody West to move from seeking help to providing it. By combining intimate personal testimony with impressive network-wide statistics, the narrative underscores the cafe’s dual role as a local sanctuary and a blueprint for a national movement.
Foot Care Clinic
This impact film highlights the decade-long collaboration between the Recovery Cafe and the Foot Care Clinics of Public Health Reserve Corps. The production documents the essential, specialized services provided by practitioners like Cheryl Baronson–illustrating how mobile foot care and medical evaluations serve as a critical bridge to public health for vulnerable populations.
Character Driven Spotlights with Repurposed Footage
Clovelle’s Story
Focusing on the restorative power of dignity, this character-driven spotlight features Clovelle, a staff member who provides more than just haircuts to the recovery community. This story explores how his personal journey from the streets of New Orleans, to finding purpose in Seattle informs his compassionate approach to service at the Recovery Cafe. Originally filmed for a larger fundraising video, this vignette serves as a great example of how a single session of filming can be leveraged to create a dynamic and meaningful media library.
Bobbie’s Story
This vignette features Bobbie Catton, a licensed mental health counselor whose professional advocacy is rooted in her own journey through the Recovery Cafe. The film highlights the unique role the Cafe played in her family’s reconciliation, documenting how a safe, communal space allowed for the healing of multi-generational trauma. By showcasing her transition from a member in crisis to a leader in the recovery field, her story serves as a profound testament to the long-term impact of the Cafe’s mission.
The Tideway team integrates like an extension of our team, problem solving and coming up with creative ways to explain the impact we have in the community. Their interview style helps people feel comfortable–they are respectful of people's range of experiences and do a great job connecting with interviewees through conversation and humor when appropriate!
— Gina Grappone | Recovery Cafe