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About - Focus & Resolve

ABOUT US

a safe place to tell your story

At Focus & Resolve we collaborate with cinema-trained craftspeople who focus on aesthetically beautiful visual storytelling. We come from the worlds of law and cinema, not network news, so we convey the essential facts of your case in an emotionally engaging manner rather than in a purely sterile or clinical tone.

CONTACT US

CHRISTY WESTAD

founder & director

ABOUT

I created Focus & Resolve to combine my passions for visual storytelling and advocacy on behalf of catastrophically injured individuals. Upon graduation from law school I began working as a plaintiff ’s attorney at Robinson Calcagnie, Inc. in Newport Beach, California in the firm’s mass tort and product liability section and stayed there for over a decade. I later moved to New York City to help create the pharmaceutical mass tort department at an established plaintiff ’s firm with expertise in asbestos claims. Over the course of my career, I assisted in the representation of thousands of people who suffered a vast array of traumatic injuries due to defective medical devices, pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter goods, or automobiles.

I left the full-time practice of law to obtain my M.F.A. in Documentary Filmmaking. I studied such topics as documentary pre-/production, editing, cinematography, and sound under experienced documentary filmmakers.

The combination of 20+ years of legal experience and advocacy along with my knowledge of documentary filmmaking led me to create Focus & Resolve, whose sole purpose is the production of short documentary films to increase the recovery on behalf of injured people. In my legal and documentary experience I have interviewed hundreds of individuals on a wide array of sensitive, personal and important topics. I know what factual elements are necessary to resolve a case, but I also understand how to tell a compelling and emotionally-impactful story.

EDUCATION & ACCREDITATION

Admitted to Practice Law: California, 2000 Colorado, 2007

M.F.A., Documentary Filmmaking, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University, 2017

J.D., Pepperdine University School of Law, 2000

B.A., Political Science, Minor in Psychology, University of San Diego, 1996

Certified Rape Crisis Advocate, State of California, 2020

Memberships: American Association for Justice (AAJ)International Documentary Association (IDA)

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

CREWS & SKILLED TRADES

cinema-trained

All members of the crew that work for Focus & Resolve are cinema-trained in their trades and have all worked on short or feature length narrative or documentary films. They have honed their crafts to make beautiful finished films that tell a compelling and engaging story. Crews can be as small as one person or all-female to accommodate the comfort level of the client. Depending upon the needs of the project we work with experts in cinematography, editing, color correction, sound design, music composition, graphics, or voice-over talent.

OUR SERVICES