Spice It Up Series | Director, Producer, Editor

Lorena directed and produced Spice It Up, a five-episode video series created for Valley Health Foundation's Giving Tuesday 2025 campaign. Inspired by the popular YouTube format Hot Ones, the series used a spicy food challenge as its hook while guests, including Supervisor Betty Duong, Dr. Parveen Anchala, and County Health Officer Sarah Rudman, shared insights on the state of Santa Clara County's public healthcare system.

Distributed across social media as part of the broader Giving Tuesday campaign, the series generated 23,000+ total views and helped drive over $35,000+ in donations. Lorena managed a crew of seven, overseeing the project from concept through final edit.

Check out the full series on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ValleyHealthFoundation/playlists

Director/Producer/Editor: Lorena Cortez
Director of Photography: Luke Kreger
B-Cam Operator: Brian Lee
1st Assistant Director: Sam Hyatt
Gaffer: Dominic Cabrera
Production Assistant: Nicole Zazkowski

Cast:
Host: Michael Elliott
Guests: Betty Duong, Dr. Praveen Anchala, County Health Officer Sarah Rudman

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