Angelo Merendino is no stranger to breast cancer.
After four years of battling the disease, Angelo’s first wife, Jennifer, passed in 2011. Throughout that time, Angelo created a photo journal of their journey together. Years later, his project “My Wife’s Fight With Breast Cancer,” went on to catch the attention of marketing at Susan G. Komen at the height of the Pandemic, when they were looking for imagery to license that would honestly depict the journey of those whose lives are touched by the disease.
That initial outreach has turned into an ongoing partnership with the Foundation. Angelo credits his ability to be a one-man production crew, as well as his first-hand knowledge of the disease as to why he’s always top of list. Many times, the people sharing their stories find security knowing that their personal journey is not being shared to a “room of 20 crew members.” From lighting and filming to editing, Angelo is at the helm. There is also an agreement with the Komen organization that any person who speaks their truth, be it patient or loved one, can say ‘when’. Angelo is sensitive to every person’s threshold. From his own experience, he is both director and cohort.
This latest team-up with Komen, “was a one-person job. I didn’t have much time, so my focus was on the video. My client wanted to keep things small and intimate due to the nature of the video (Trisha’s mother had breast cancer and passed a few years back and she has participated in several Komen walks). It was a ‘one man band’ job, so I lit everything, ran and monitored the audio and video, and I did all of the editing.”
Angelo also credits this opportunity as a full circle moment of sorts: “In the 90’s I was living in Nashville and I waited on Trisha at a local restaurant. I didn’t know it was her but she left a nice note on the table, a note that I still have.”
Check out the promotional spot below.
View Angelo’s Workbook portfolio.
