Reporting
Independent coverage of the people and ventures reshaping impact-driven business.
Film
Documentary storytelling that puts audiences inside the work.
Conversations
Long-form interviews with founders, funders, and community leaders.
Studio staff
The people behind the work
Charles Thi
Video Editor & Creative Storyteller
Full profileCharles Thi is a video editor and creative storyteller with a career spanning media, professional development, leadership, and the arts. As Media Director for an independent arts organization, Charles worked at the intersection of creative media and a global community of independent artists. The experience placed him in the center of a fast-moving creative organization dedicated to giving emerging talent visibility and opportunities across disciplines including film, visual art, fashion, music, and performance. His work helped strengthen his understanding of visual storytelling, creative promotion, and the role media can play in building communities around artists and ideas.
Charles’ experience also extends to the field of professional and transformational education, developing experience in communication, leadership, and facilitating conversations that encouraged people to examine their perspectives and take greater ownership of their personal and professional goals.
Today, Charles brings these experiences together through working with content creators and bringing his unique blend of editing, creative storytelling, and a focus on local communities. His work reflects both a strong visual sensibility and a continuing interest in the people, ideas, and experiences behind the stories he helps bring to life.
Christopher Cagle
Television Producer & Director
Full profileChristopher Cagle is a television producer and director based in Los Angeles who describes himself as an interpreter of the visual arts. He is currently a producer at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he has worked since December 2023, and brings more than a decade of experience leading unscripted productions from concept through delivery. His background across development, field production and post gives Impact Studio guidance on story structure, production standards and how to build broadcast-quality programming with community partners.
Rene Roberts-Nijinsky
Author, Speaker & Advocate
Full profileRene Roberts-Nijinsky is an author, motivational speaker and athlete from Lakewood, California who was born with cerebral palsy. Her book, My Voice is Not Disabled, and her speaking work have inspired thousands of people with a story of triumph over long odds. She is a 16-time sprint-distance triathlete and a four-time national para dragon boat competitor, and helped build an all-abilities dragon boat racing team in Long Beach. Earlier in her career she worked in human resources at McDonnell Douglas. Rene brings a disability-inclusion and storytelling perspective to Impact Studio and our media channels.
Partners
Creative partners of the Studio
Impact Studio produces alongside organizations that share our belief that creativity is a civic skill — not a luxury.
- Orange County, California
Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
Founded on the philosophies of legendary Oscar-winning animation director Chuck Jones, the Center is a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to stimulating innovative thinking, individual expression, and interpersonal collaboration — while nurturing creative solutions to society's most urgent and unmet needs.
“The only thing an adult can give a child is time.”
What they do
- Creativity programs for youth, including students on the autism spectrum
- Workshops for schools, businesses, and organizational teams
- Adult and community creative-development sessions
- The Red Dot Auction, their annual charity art event with artists worldwide
- Oakland, California
Gameheads
Gameheads is a tech training program that uses video game design, development, and multimedia to develop diverse talent and bold new voices — training young people ages 15–25 for the 21st century workforce and preparing them for college, career, and civic life. It is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives.
“I didn’t think four years later I would be kind of where I am. I’m in college! And there’s opportunity popping up left and right for me and my friends around me.”
What they do
- Year-long program combining game design, coding, and hands-on production
- Education and career counseling paired with direct industry exposure
- Gameheads: Kids, an introductory track for younger creators
- Student-made games that challenge traditional game-industry curriculum