I'm on a mission to highlight and support the solutions that exist already, or are in the process of development, which seek to improve lives, eliminate injustice, in conjuction with our natural world.
I'm Martine; a doer, a thinker, a creative strategist and someone who likes to work on all things impact - whether it's communicating it, producing it, bringing people together to see it...
I am an audience engager and I love to work collaboratively.
What does audience engagement mean?
A variety of things to me...
From brand identity and defining strong organisational values to building that epic online communications campaign strategy, event production and filmmaking, my wide set of skills puts me in a brilliant position to run my one-stop production house for audience engagement: XTATX Studio
I'm big-picture thinking & attentive to detail.
I have strong ethics and values.
I'm proactive, passionate and energetic.
Some key experiences leading me to where I am today in chronological order:
Born in London, raised in England & France.
Bachelor of Commerce in Business Studies and International Management, with a minor in Hispanic studies, McGill University, Montreal.
My core focus and interest lay in human rights in Latin America. I completed my degree with a research paper on the disarmament, demobilisation & reintegration process and experiences held by female child soldiers in Colombia.
Self-taught photographer & filmmaker.
Starting with a compact digital camera, I experimented with framing. I then learnt to use a manual camera and harnessed the tools and techniques for stunning imagery. Moving image quickly appealed to me and I started making music videos with my sister, artist and musician, Chloe Levaillant. This stuck and I greatly enjoyed and valued the possibilities and opportunities afforded through storytelling and video.
My favourite stories are:
+ those that go deep into our emotions that make us human - intimate and universal.
+ those that platform people and projects that provide solutions to our societal issues.
+ those that platform people and projects that provide solutions to our societal issues.
Award winner with SLASummit - Luna de Monte Sinaí, project implemented in collaboration with local NGO, Hogar de Cristo, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
A series of workshops co-facilitated with local teachers to provide women with income generating skills. Delivering 6-week long courses for 120 women in hairdressing and styling, shoe-making as well as artisanal craftmanship, 3 months on, 98% of participants continued to practice the skills learnt; 69% of whom were supplementing their family income as a result, and 29% of whom were sharing their skills with their family and close community.
Once the programme ended, I continued to work with the partnering charity to support three of their departments: entrepreneurship for women, a safehouse for female survivors of domestic violence and their children, and the communications department. During this time, I supported existing activities, facilitated workshops, launched new initiatives and trained people to continue the work, contributed to publications with photography, made a film about the charity's impact, organised events, and embedded myself deeply within the local community.
Masters of Art in International Communications and Development, City University, London
I specialised in research methods and methodologies and conducted my thesis on participatory action research, taking a keen interest in photovoice as a tool for underrepresented groups to voice their narratives.
Project & Membership Manager with MeWe360 supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in the creative industries
I worked with MeWe360 for three years full time and continue to work with them freelance on key impact-driven and communication-related projects. My time with MeWe360 taught me a great deal about leadership development, the struggles faced by solo-entrepreneurs, as well as the particular challenges experienced by Black, Asian and ethnic minority creators and doers.
From project design, proposal writing, impact reporting, network mapping, building and managing relationships with key stakeholders across the sector, webinar and workshop organisation and facilitation, developing systems and refining key processes, budget management, building opportunities for PR, website oversight, developing internal and external communications strategy for implementation, launching and maintaining newsletter series, to event planning and delivery... it's been a solid journey for skills acquisition and refinement as well as capacity building and personal development.
Some of my hopes and dreams?
For there are too many...
+ To support the growth and success of impact-driven projects and enterprises.
+ To make participatory films.
+ For human equality across all demographics.
+ To live regeneratively, with nature.
+ To retain time for healthy living, sport and adventure.
+ To live in a tree house. ☺
+ To make participatory films.
+ For human equality across all demographics.
+ To live regeneratively, with nature.
+ To retain time for healthy living, sport and adventure.
+ To live in a tree house. ☺
Languages spoken:
Available to support with translation
+ Fluent in English, French and Spanish.
+ Beginner in Portuguese.
Available to support with translation
+ Fluent in English, French and Spanish.
+ Beginner in Portuguese.
Co-directing, camera and editor positions. Currently in post...
A documentary series on nomadic philosophy across multiple generations of herders in Mongolia
Co-Director, Camera Operator, Sound, Editor
In collaboration with Otgon Uuj