I am a student of the human condition. I am fascinated with the human psyche and the human soul. What makes us tick; why we do what we do; why there is injustice in the world and what decides whether or not we as individuals have the mettle to take a stance and make a difference and change. That is who I am. My mission is to try as best I can to make this world a better place for all. I try to do my part. I try to encourage others to do theirs.
As such, I try to touch the lives of others and most of all to share the stories of the lives of others whom have touched and altered me, my path, my journey, my calling. My mission. So while as I said I am a student of the human condition, I am also an activist. I don’t just talk the talk. I do my best to walk the walk.
When I first visited India, I was astounded by many things. The warmth of the people. The devotion they had toward their faith, even though it was not my faith; the vast beauty of the people and the land.
There is however, an underbelly to the land. There is poverty. Filth. Class disparity. Discouraged, dejected and displaced human spirits and souls. One group in particular struck a chord in my soul—the orphans. The storyteller in me, the humanitarian in me, the theologian in me knew that I could not dismiss this. I had to use my skills and voice to tell a story, to educate others about their plight. I felt the call to do something as surely as if Gabriel himself had sounded that call. To ignore this would have meant that I was ignoring my integrity as a human, as a man, as fellow child of God and light and love. We are in this together people and we all have an important and invaluable role to perform in this grand play called life.
The result was a documentary on 25 orphans living along the railway in southern India. It was a labor of love. It was my valentine to a land that had touched my life and my spirit in a way that I had never imagined possible.
Once back home in the U.S., I viewed our great land with new, awakened eyes and I realized that we too have an underbelly, one that is not only dismissed and ignored but not adequately addressed. It is an ugly issue, one we tend to think only occurs in other countries and not at home. An issue that affects our children. Our future. The fragile and ones trapped in hopelessness and despair. Sex Trafficking.
Most people I connect with think that sex trafficking is something that happens in other countries, and the news stories that we hear on TV are simply isolated incidents. They don’t actually think that it could be happening in their city.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve read a few articles online about human trafficking, and I started to learn about the nuances of the issue. While the term human trafficking can refer to all sorts of human slavery (primarily revolving around labor), I began to learn that sex trafficking specifically involved the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the specific purpose of obtaining commercial sex. The ultimate result is the generation of money from the sex work of another. While I had personally witnessed this in India in red-light districts and in China at a karaoke bar, I was shocked to find out sex trafficking was happening in the U.S.
Once I was aware of these facts, I knew I could not be a mere silent witness. My nature dictated that I had to do something. I had to make a difference. I had to educate others on this issue and I had to play my role—however big or small that would be—to put an end to this horrific reality.
I approached Word Entertainment, who distributed my first documentary, about the possibility of a second film, and they connected me with the work of Abolition International. We began to develop a relationship with their team and developed a concept for a unique film unlike anything that’s been produced thus far. In the process, Natalie Grant (founder of Abolition International and 5 time GMA Vocalist of the Year) was excited to join the project as an Executive Producer and Narrator to bring attention to this critical issue.
Rather than just focusing on statistics and expert interviews, we will travel to five U.S. cities that you may not necessarily think of when it comes to sex trafficking. We plan to document the lives of five unsuspecting families as they go about their everyday lives and help open their eyes to what’s happening “in plain sight” right down the street from them. As the viewer connects with the family, the hope is that they simultaneously have an “ah-ha” moment about what may be happening in their city as well.
Frankly, most sex trafficking documentaries are completely depressing, and we’re committed to making IN PLAIN SIGHT an inspiring film. In order to do so, we’ll be profiling the work of five different aftercare homes (one in each city) by sharing stories of freedom and hope that are rising out of the darkness of sexual slavery. Each one of those non-profits happen to be part of the Abolition International Shelter Association. The bottom line is that we want people to be motivated by the fact that there are solutions emerging. People are experiencing positive results, and we need to learn from them and replicate their work in other cities.
Through an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign, we are in the process of raising a lean budget of $75,000 to fund this project. 100% of the money goes to cover the expenses associated with production costs. I have recruited a professional team to shoot, edit, write, and score the film, and they’re willing to invest themselves at an extremely reduced rate.
We’re blown away how the pieces are coming together. We want the documentary to be accessible to people of all backgrounds and faiths. We want anyone to be able to sit down and watch it – increasing their awareness of the issue and motivating them to take action – without forcing them to overcome a worldview that may be quite different than their own. Yet, we also know that followers of Jesus have a unique passion for this topic, and we want to equip the Church with additional resources.
Specifically, we’ll be producing a compilation worship album with songs of hope and freedom from some of your favorite Christian artists. We want the songs to point people to the Source of all that we need in order to fight this horrendous challenge in our nation, and we believe that the album will be a healing balm to our souls in their process. In addition, I’m co-authoring a 31 day devotional and small group study guide with Stacia Freeman (President of Abolition International) focusing on God’s heart of the vulnerable and broken in our world. We truly want to equip ordinary people to help stop sex trafficking in the United States.
This is who I am—what I do. This is how I try to live by the code that Jesus lived by and which Gandhi so eloquently stated—be the change you wish to see in the world. This is how I live with personal integrity. I am now asking you to find it in your hearts to live by your personal code as well. If we all could only do that, imagine the world we would create.
Based in Orange County, California, David Trotter is passionate about inspiring you to leverage your life for the good of others. As a documentary filmmaker, speaker, and writer, he shares his own journey in creative ways in order to compel people to take positive action in their world.
David is the Executive Producer and Co-host of MOTHER INDIA: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan – Best Short Documentary at the 2012 San Diego Christian Film Festival.
Prior to 15 years of non-profit leadership experience, David attended Vanguard University (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (MA). He has been married to the love of his life, Laura, for more than 19 years, and they have two children.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in-plain-sight-executive-produced-and-narrated-by-natalie-grant/
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