The North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) has been doing amazing work in Chicago for over 15 years now. NLEN is a nonprofit helping ex-offenders and low-income citizens get back on the right track by providing them job readiness education, financial tools and literacy, and a pathway to employment.

We had the absolute privilege of documenting NLEN for their annual Sweet Beginning’s Tea event. We interviewed key stakeholders, past NLEN alumni, and community advocates for this documentary-style event video to tell the complete story of NLEN; from the people who make it work to the people they help put to work. With the amount of interviewees needed to capture the full story, it was a challenge getting everyone scheduled, but thanks to our tireless pre-production crew, all interviews were conducted without a hitch!