Chris mano Video Portfolio

a brief introduction

Awakening in the UK

Role: Researcher, Writer, Director, Director of Photography
Client: Watermark Resources | Watermark Community Church
Format: Human-interest documentary | Sample excerpt runs 4:25 min
Distribution: Live presentation, web, and, social media

Challenge
Watermark commissioned this film for its annual Church Leaders Conference, attended by more than 4,000 church leaders. The goal was to investigate and capture stories of spiritual awakening and renewed interest in faith being reported in the United Kingdom, using those firsthand accounts to encourage and challenge U.S. conference attendees.

My Contribution
I researched the subjects and developed the story, wrote the script, directed the film and interviews, and served as Director of Photography. The production combined original interviews and filmed footage from the UK along with archival and contextual material.

Result
The film premiered to more than 4,000 attendees at the Church Leaders Conference. One of the film’s interview subjects, Sarah Jackson, traveled from the UK to Texas for a live Q&A exploring the issues raised in the film. The documentary was later made available to churches for local screenings and released on YouTube, where it has received more than 52,000 views.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
The project required end-to-end ownership of a documentary story—from research and editorial development through interviewing, writing, directing, and cinematography. It demonstrates my approach to non-fiction storytelling: understand the larger context, find the human stories within it, and use interviews and imagery together to create a story that can engage both a live audience and viewers well beyond the original event.

The full 25 minute version can be found HERE.

Additional Crew:
Jordan Thompson – Camera, Edit

The Billman Story

Role: Writer, Director, Interviewer, and Cinematographer
Client: Watermark Community Church
Format: Human-interest documentary | Runs 4:41 min
Distribution: Live presentation, web, and social media

Challenge
Executive leadership wanted a film for a Sunday service that would remind members and guests of the importance of living in community and invite them to take a meaningful next step.

Story

The Billmans faced devastating medical news that disrupted nearly every part of their lives. The film follows how they moved forward together and experienced meaningful support from the community around them.

My Contribution
Working from an earlier audio recording of the couple’s story, I developed the audiovisual script, conducted the interviews, directed and filmed the production, and led the edit. The finished piece combines intimate interviews with personal photographs collected from the family.

Result
The film premiered during Sunday services at Watermark and was distributed through Watermark’s website and social channels. The family later told us that viewers reached out to them to learn more, and many contacted the church about joining a community group.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
The project demonstrates the kind of human-centered storytelling I would bring to customer films: careful listening, sensitive interviewing, end-to-end production ownership, and an editorial approach that keeps the people at the center of the story while showing the meaningful role the organization played.

Additional Crew:

Collin Sims – Camera, Editing

Jordan Thompson – Camera
Sammy Lopez – Sound

2025 Year in Review – Integrated Giving Campaign

Role: AV Script Writer, Director, Cinematographer
Client: Watermark Community Church
Format: Communication Video | Runs 6:51 min

Distribution: Live presentation, web, email, and social media

Challenge
The year-end giving campaign needed a flagship film that could connect the organization’s annual impact to a clear, cohesive story. The video also needed to reflect the visual identity established by the campaign’s print materials and work across live and digital channels.

My Contribution
Working from talking points developed for the print campaign, I wrote an audiovisual script for concept approval, managed executive review and revisions, and translated the approved narrative into a production-ready shooting script.

I directed the overall project and interviews with nine organizational leaders, contributed cinematography, and led the translation of the Creative Director’s established campaign design system into video. Production included two studio days, two additional location days, and footage our team had strategically captured throughout the year.

Result
The final film became the campaign’s primary video asset. It was presented during live gatherings, distributed through email and the website, and adapted for social media.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
This project demonstrates integrated campaign execution: translating an established campaign strategy into video, managing senior stakeholders, coordinating a complex production schedule, and creating one coherent story from a large volume of people, footage, data, and organizational priorities.

Additional Crew:
Writers – Tristan Lazor & David Penuel

Jordan Thompson – Camera, Editing

Jeff White – Camera

TJ Smith – Motion Design

The Return of the Baby Cop

Role: Concept, Co-Writer, and Director
Client: Watermark Community Church
Format: Short-form comedy communication | runs 2:07 min
Distribution: Live presentation, web, email, and social media

Challenge:
Every January, Watermark’s membership resets, and members must renew for the coming year. In previous years, the lengthy renewal form—known internally as the “4B”—often went unfinished for months. Because humor is a familiar part of Watermark’s culture, the executive team requested a comedic film that could draw attention to an important but easily overlooked administrative task.

My Contribution
I developed the concept for The Return of Baby Cop, co-wrote the script, and directed the production. The film uses cinematic genre conventions, character-driven humor, and escalating visual comedy to capture attention before revealing the underlying message.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
This project demonstrates a different side of my creative leadership: developing an original concept, shaping it collaboratively through writing, and directing comedy with a clear tone. It shows my ability to turn routine organizational communication into branded content designed to be entertaining, distinctive, and memorable.

Additional Crew:
Taylor Jenkins – Cinematography, Edit, VFX

Jordan Thompson – Camera
Jeff White – Location Sound

Meat | A Visual Narrative

Role: Producer, Interviewer, Camera, Editor

Client: Jon Flaming
Format: Exhibition film | Runs 2:04 min
Distribution: Web and social media

Challenge:
Artist Jon Flaming wanted to promote his upcoming gallery exhibitions while helping collectors and fans connect more deeply with the places and people that inspired his work. I pitched a series of short documentaries built around those subjects and the process of translating them into paintings.

This film, one of several I created for Jon, promoted his MEAT exhibition at David Dike Fine Art. It explores the Texas barbecue joints, steakhouses, and burger drive-ins that inspired the work seen taking shape in his studio.

My Contribution

I produced the film, developed and conducted the interviews, filmed the documentary footage, and edited the finished piece. The production followed the story as it unfolded, allowing unplanned interactions and authentic moments to shape the narrative.

Result
The film was well received by Jon and the gallery owner. The featured restaurant owner shared it through his social channels, traveled to Dallas with his wife for the exhibition, and posted about his experience at the opening.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
Most of my productions begin with an approved brief, shooting script, locations, and shot list. This project demonstrates the complementary skill: recognizing when a vérité approach will produce a more authentic brand story. Remaining open to discovery allowed me to bring viewers into an intimate setting and build a genuine connection among the artist, his subject matter, and his audience.

The outsiders – Integrated Campaign Video Open

Role: Creative Concept and Director

Client: Watermark Community Church
Format: Recurring sermon series opener | Runs 0:28 sec
Distribution: Live presentation, social media, and web

Challenge
We needed to create a film that established the identity and emotional tone of a multi-week sermon series while functioning as a concise, repeatable opener for each Sunday program.

My Contribution
Our standard process for an integrated campaign was to develop the hero graphic and brand guide before creating derivative assets. In this case, the creative team responded to my concept of using miniature sets and figures by developing the graphic identity and film in tandem. Images captured on set became part of both the video and the broader campaign.

The film used miniature figures, constructed environments, sound design, and cinematic lighting to introduce characters commonly perceived as outsiders, then brought those individual figures together within one unified campaign identity.

Result

The completed film opened each Sunday program throughout the series and gave our department fresh creative momentum. In addition to enthusiastic feedback from members and guests, the project generated interest from creative teams at other churches that wanted to learn more about how it was made.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
This project demonstrates concise brand storytelling, visual concept development, and the ability to lead specialized collaborators. It also shows what can happen when a team is willing to reconsider its normal process in pursuit of a more memorable idea.

Additional Crew:

Taylor Jenkins – Cinematography, Camera

Jordan Thompson – Miniatures Set-Design and Construction

Leadership Case study–Building the Operating System Behind Watermark’s Film Team

Role: Film Director

Focus: Team Development, Production Strategy, and Scalable Systems
Organization: Watermark Community Church

The Starting Point
When I joined Watermark in 2015, the organization already had two talented early-career filmmakers and broader creative direction in place. What it lacked was an experienced film leader who could develop the team, evaluate production needs, and establish a reliable process for moving projects from request through approval, production, and delivery.

Demand was growing, but there was no consistent way to compare the value, cost, or production requirements of competing requests. Leadership needed greater visibility into what could reasonably be produced by the staff team, what required outside specialists, and which projects should move forward.

My Contribution
I began by coaching and directing the existing filmmakers while creating Watermark’s first film-specific intake, budgeting, and approval processes.

Each request was assigned a production value and evaluated under two possible models: the internal cost of producing it with staff resources and the external cost of hiring freelance support. I presented those options to executive leadership, giving decision-makers a clearer view of production capacity, cost, and organizational value.

As demand approached 250 annual requests, it became clear that adding filmmakers indefinitely was not a sustainable solution. I worked with executive leadership to develop an initial tiered menu that helped ministries understand which types of videos were available to them and established clearer guidance for prioritizing requests. Watermark’s Executive Communications Director later expanded and refined that approach into a broader resource menu across the communications department.

I also helped develop and launch an iPad-based self-service studio for recurring and straightforward content that did not require a professional film crew. Over time, I helped grow and develop the film team, establish external production partnerships, improve shared post-production infrastructure, and contribute film-production expertise to the development of two video studios and a podcast room.

Result

The result was an evolving production model built collaboratively over several years. The professional film team now leads approximately 75–120 productions annually, while the self-service capability shifted roughly 150 recurring videos away from the core team. This allowed specialist filmmakers to concentrate on higher-value documentaries, campaigns, testimonials, and flagship productions.

My particular contribution was establishing the early film-specific structure, developing the filmmakers, and helping leadership make more informed decisions about capacity, cost, production approach, and creative ambition.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
This experience taught me how to enter an existing creative environment, recognize what talents are present with the current team and identify what could help them accomplish even greater work.

For StackAdapt, I would bring the same approach: assess and develop the people already in place, make production tradeoffs visible, determine which work belongs with an internal team or external partner, and build scalable systems that preserve specialist capacity for the videos that deserve the highest creative investment.

Newsies – Fast-turn social production

Role: Concept, Cinematographer, Editor

Client: Accolade Community Theatre
Format: Vertical social advertisement | Runs 0:42 sec
Distribution: Social Media

Challenge
Accolade wanted a vertical social video promoting its upcoming production of Newsies. Because of scheduling constraints, I had only three hours with the cast and crew—two days before opening night—and half a day to edit the footage.

My Contribution
Without time to interview the director or cast, I proposed a performance-led concept. Using a handheld camera with full access to the stage and actors, I filmed for movement, personality, visual variety, and the scale of the ensemble. I then selected a song recorded during rehearsal to serve as the narrative spine of the edit.

Result

The completed 42-second film gave the theatre a timely, platform-native promotional asset for social distribution ahead of opening night.

Why This Applies To StackAdapt
This project demonstrates editorial instinct, speed, and practical judgment under tight constraints. It shows what I can accomplish independently when a project does not need a large crew or an extended production schedule.