Evangel senior makes documentary video on Joplin Tornado

(From Evangel University)

Evangel University senior Jeffrey Pierce, a film major from Avon, Ohio, recently made a documentary video about the Joplin tornado for the Missouri-Kansas region of the National HealthCare Corporation.

NHC is a long-term health care provider, with 76 facilities in 11 states.

KYTV news anchor Steve Grant, a 1976 Evangel graduate, suggested Pierce for the project and served as the liaison between him and NHC.

"I had done work for Steve before, and he thought of me when his wife's boss needed the DVD made," Pierce said.

Stephanie Grant, a 2009 master's graduate of Evangel, is administrator of Springfield Rehab and Health Care, a subsidiary of NHC.

Pierce edited the project, combining footage from NBC and the Weather Channel with photos and video clips taken by Joplin HealthCare personnel.

His video has been shown at NHC business meetings to raise awareness about the devastating tornado.

"Jeff is an amazing editor," Grant said. "The proof is in the continual showing of the DVD to all levels of NHC's staff, management and corporate executives."

Pierce did not expect his work to be used at this level.

"It's cool to hear that my video is being seen by that many people," he said. "I think of the documentary as a memorial video. It is a testament to the people who lived and to those who helped others survive. NHC had two buildings in Joplin -- one was hit dramatically, but miraculously no one was hurt."

As a senior film major, Pierce has taken many classes to prepare him for projects like the Joplin DVD. He credits his professors at Evangel, however, for helping him learn the skill of working within a client's specifications.

"I was able to hop right into the professional field and get the job done," he said.