The TATTS Story

In the late summer of 2014, DJI reached out to TATTS and asked if we'd be willing to be part of their 'DJI Stories' campaign.  They loved what the kids were doing and wanted to share it with their customers and partners.  Naturally, we were thrilled to have an opportunity to promote our awesome kids.

We began with a handful of conference calls with DJI staff and the producer discussing things such as DJI's intent with this effort, what we'd be asking from the kids, how it would be distributed, and most importantly, an "autism 101" for the producer and crew.  Once we were all on the same page, DJI flew the producer, 2 cameramen, a sound person and a 2-person aerial film crew from Los Angeles to Wisconsin.  Local experts were brought in to assist with lighting and sound.  We hosted this crew of 8 for an entire weekend.  There were some intense, reality show moments given the proximity of the cameramen to the kids (I recall one comment being made that "you're stalking me" as the cameraman was 18" from Mitchell's face).  But all in all, it worked out beautifully. 

The video is 3 minutes long and was published on YouTube at the end of November, 2014 and as of February 1st, 2015 it has received over 150,000 hits!  It's very well done and showcases how this technology connects with these kids.  Not to mention, its bolstered the self-esteem of the kids involved.  After all, how many hits do your videos have on YouTube?

We would like to thank DJI for the effort they put in to share the great work of TATTS kids.  Enjoy!

 

Below are a few still shots of the crew. 

Mitchell getting mic'd up

Camera crew in our house

Camera crew with Mitchell in his bedroom

The pilot for DJI's aerial film crew - a 2 person operation

DJI's aerial crew camera operator

Ground crew filming us while we fly - note the boom mic

Ground crew capturing us talking through flight mechanics

Mitchell with the producer - Don Broida