You Have to Meet Donnie!

"I can't wait for you to meet Donnie! He's really awesome." My friend and co-founder of the nonprofit bUneke.org gushed over this man almost every time we talked. Donnie this and Donnie that. Donnie. Donnie. Donnie.

I had to find out what was so special about Donnie Crawford. Surely, he's just a man, like so many I've met throughout life. Or is he?

“You have to meet him! He’s such an interesting person. I know you’ll like him.”

Jennifer had met Donnie when they both worked on a film in Orlando, Florida. They worked so well together that they started requesting each other to join subsequent projects. She enjoyed working with him so much that she wanted to introduce him to me and to our nonprofit.

Donnie is soft spoken, always analyzing the situation with a mischievous smile that reminds me of someone with a secret. He has a keen intellect, and I learned that he is always taking supplemental college classes to enhance his knowledge base.

After I’d met him and worked with him and gotten to know him, it was easy to understand why Jennifer wanted to introduce us. We have an odd, quirky relationship. We share a sense of humor many people don’t understand.

When I think about Donnie, a few things come to mind. He's smart, kind, considerate, thoughtful, and has a smile that he shares sparingly, but when he smiles, my goodness! Everybody around him smiles back. Donnie's quietness means he's probably thinking, and like many quiet people, when he speaks, he has something important to say. Being a director of photography is a complex career. He has to know his camera inside and out. There is so much to know about technical settings and getting the most from a shot. He anticipates the shots, whether staged and rehearsed or live action. Donnie has displayed an innate ability, or gut feeling that’s gotten those amazing money-shots that turn a production from good to amazing.

He's a busy entrepreneur and always has a lot on his plate. His freelance videography business has taken him many places, literally and figuratively. When I met Donnie, he was the director of photography for ESPN's Golf Channel. Despite a very busy schedule, Donnie became a member of board of directors for the educational nonprofit, bUneke.org and has added tremendously to the organization. He’s quietly made us reconsider many ideas we had already contemplated and pondered beyond the point of ridiculousness. Donnie shed light on our mission and made us realize that, although we weren’t yet three years old, our organization had outgrown its original blueprint.

The biggest project I've worked on, with Donnie, where he was behind the camera, was one that allowed our organization to help another charity raise a half-a-million dollars and I’m not exaggerating when I say we couldn't have done it without him.

Forgotten Enchantress was bUneke's first major documentary and the film was instrumental in that group's fundraising during the beginning days of the Covid lockdown.

Donnie drove more than 140 miles and two hours, to arrive before sunrise, not just once or twice, but three days in a row! Then, after a 12-hour day, he drove back home to his family each night. He brought a full arsenal of specialty cameras, lights, meters, other specialized equipment, and accessories we needed to create a professional film. Never once did he ask for gas money or suggest that we should rent his personal equipment. I was privileged to see how he and Jennifer worked together and I understood how they bonded over a different kind of film project, years before.

Donnie, and his wife, Nicole, have worked hard to put their two children through college. Nicole is a self-published author of several books and Donnie supports his wife’s pursuit of her own nonprofit organization to empower girls and young women.

There is much more to this iceberg of a man. I’ve only shown you the part that floats above the ocean. I’d love to introduce you to Donnie and let you see what’s beneath the surface.