During Mardi Gras, I interviewed homeless people on the street to see what their lives are like during the most festive time of year! During Carnival and still today nearly 1,179 homeless people sleep outside and go hungry every day while over Mardi Gras nearly 164 million dollars is spent on festivities. I strive to show the socioeconomic divide between the people celebrating and the people surviving. This is what it's like being... Homeless During Mardi Gras.

Director's Biography:

I am a recent graduate of Louisiana State University, and in my time there, I was the president of the residential housing association, a member of LSU's rugby league, cinematographer/editing intern for Ted Talks LSU, assistant directing intern for The National WWII Museum, and producer/videographer for the LSU Reveille. One of my largest achievements is the video production company, which I founded at just nineteen years old and still reside as CEO of Trai Thomas Media.

Since graduating from LSU I have filled the role of video intern with zlien, an online administrative construction company that was recently touted as the number one small business in Louisiana according to Business Insider Magazine. In that position I worked diligently to increase the amount of views, qualified leads, & inquiries generated from video platforms and content that I produced. I wrote scripts based on our most popular online blog articles, filmed pieces of content using high profile cameras (Canon C-100, Canon 70D, Arri Alexa Mini), and edited that content for digital distribution using the most proficient programs (FCPX, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects). I was also the Director of Marketing for Seiler Tucker Business Consultants.

I concurrently reside as a video/photography intern with The New Orleans Jazz Museum, working in a similar capacity with the marketing team to create social media content. I am also pursuing my Master of the Arts degree in Museum Studies from Southern University at New Orleans.