Kirk Mason '14: RCAH Alumni Newsletter Interview

Kirk Mason ’14 is a documentary filmmaker whose award-winning film Break the Chain will debut on Amazon Prime and Vimeo starting March 20. The film has been playing to acclaim across the countrycountry and will be shown at the Michigan Speech Language Hearing Association at MSU’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on March 21. Chronicling the plight of two survivors of human trafficking, Break the Chain examines how trafficking often goes unnoticed in our own backyards. Mason holds a degree in arts and humanities from RCAH and a double major in media with a specialization in documentary studies from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Image shows a close-up young white male with a beard, wearing a hat and with piercings. Image is in black and white and of Kirk Mason.
Photo by Sarah B. Scott

 

How did you get involved in this project?

Laura Swanson, my friend and co-director of Break the Chain, worked with me on another documentary prior to Break the Chain about sexual assault called Every Two Minutes. That was the capstone course of the documentary specialization in Media and Information, and how we met. When that project concluded, Laura asked if I was interested in working on another project with her about human trafficking, which we learned much about during the filming of Every Two Minutes—the worlds of sexual assault and human trafficking are linked in many ways. We teamed up again, having learned the ropes during E2M, to make a better, more effective documentary with the purpose of public education and workshops for those in positions of authority. That was our original goal.

Talk a bit about the process: how long it took, what the filming was like, working with the people you interview....

It took about a year of researching and networking to get us to a place where we felt comfortable shooting. We worked mostly with the Michigan Human Trafficking Taskforce, Ingham County Sheriff's Department, the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan College of Law, and the two amazing trafficking survivors we met during our research period: Debbie, who is a survivor of sex trafficking and has a desire to share her story to help others who are currently struggling, and Kwami, a labor trafficking survivor who we met through the Human Trafficking Clinic. Finding a labor trafficking survivor was really hard because of the nature of their plight—most feel as though they can't speak out about their exploitation because it can negatively impact their lives, even long after the trafficking ended. Many are in the country illegally, or think that the chances of working in the future could be influenced by speaking out against a company who, quite often, is still committing these acts of trafficking. 

It took about five months for Kwami to finally agree to be in the documentary, but only his voice. Finally, the week before the scheduled interview, Kwami made a major life decision and chose to become a representative of the human trafficking issue. He decided he would show his face, step out of the shadows, and confront the lingering emotional effects of his exploitation. It was pure bravery—and obviously helped strengthen our documentary on an emotional level! 

We interviewed volunteers at Alternatives for Girls, a resource center for women and girls who are involved in sex work in Detroit. They took us out at night in their van, which drives the common prostitution tracks in downtown Detroit and hands out resources to sex workers who are currently on the street working. We had the opportunity to interview sex workers about trafficking, whether they had been trafficked, what it was like working with a pimp, etc. That was a moving experience, and helped to shape the documentary's narrative. 

We were in production for about a year. This included traveling all over Michigan to interview all sorts of folks working in human trafficking awareness, resources, legal services, law enforcement, and anything else you can think of. We also traveled to DC to interview a researcher who has worked in collecting human trafficking statistical data. 

Post-production took about a year as well. When we finally premiered, it was a big event, but the real work was just beginning. The next two years, the documentary was screened around the country for high school and college students, law enforcement, judges, politicians, and many more. Currently, we are partnering with police, public schools, universities, state courts, child services, shelters, and nonprofit organizations for public screenings and private trainings. This was our intent in the beginning, and it has far surpassed our goal. 

How can RCAH alumni help you get the word out about the video? 

Share our website breakthechainfilm.com, where you can find information about our upcoming screenings and how to order the documentary online. Also know that there are so many ways to educate yourself about slavery and the fight against it. Break the Chain is a great way to learn the facts about human trafficking. 

Are there any RCAH-specific skills that you used while creating this project?

I always felt like my study in the department of Media & Information taught me the technical skills necessary to shoot andedit the doc, and RCAH taught me the listening, understanding, and storytelling skills necessary to create an effective narrative that makes the documentary worthwhile. In short, without my time at RCAH, none of my documentary work would exist. I wouldn't have the passion I do for sharing the experiences of others, and spreading empathy and information that leads to action. This comes directly from RCAH.

As I continue through life and my career, I find that these skills gained from studying in RCAH make me unique, and make it an easy decision for hiring managers. People look to work with individuals who are aware of social issues and are passionate about their work. On a basic level, working on these types of projects give my life meaning and purpose in a very tangible way. I owe so much to my time in RCAH!

 

Interviewer's Note: Included in the Break the Chain film crew are RCAH alumni Emily Chen ’16, Dani Dillon ’16, Elena Petrovich ’18, and Ian Siporin ’15.