Richmond Beach Director Releases Docu-Series "Listen"

Award-winning, Shoreline writer and director, Rick Stevenson, debuted his original series, Listen, on BYU TV earlier this year.

The Listen series is part of the 5000 Days Project, Stevenson's ambitious endeavor that currently involves over 200 kids across six countries.

Stevenson's 2006 film, Expiration Date, won Best Film awards at both the Omaha Film Festival and the American Indian Film Festival.

The weekly, half-hour Listen series chronicles the lives of children, many of whom hail from the Shoreline area, as they transition into young adulthood. 

Introduced as "a group of courageous kids" who "have committed to telling the most difficult story they'll ever tell," the subjects of the show have allowed cameras to record them as they navigate through a variety of obstacles, including drug addiction, adjusting to a new country, and the death of a parent.

Luciano Concha, a Listen kid from Chile, lost his right arm and leg, but survived, after being hit by a train. Touched by this jarring story, Sam Nelson, a participant in the 5000 Days Project, created a website to raise $150,000 to help cover the expenses of Concha's lifetime medical needs.

Stevenson developed a close relationship with the docu-series' participants, creating an environment conducive to open and honest sharing, which he hoped would encourage other young people to tell their stories.