RICO J. NEEDHAM
Producer • Director • Editor
Producer • Director • Editor
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A facility-wide culture film created for Amazon MDW2 and incorporated into the Day 1 onboarding experience for every new hire.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A launch-day film capturing the opening of Amazon’s ORD5 Operations facility and the people and energy surrounding its first day.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A narrative film created with Amazon’s Black Employee Network exploring identity, representation, and perception.
Role: Producer • Director • Writer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
A research-driven documentary-style film tracing the history and evolution of long exposure photography before exploring its techniques, creative possibilities, and philosophy. 240K+ organic views on YouTube.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A poetic narrative film created with Women at Amazon exploring equality, representation, and challenging the status quo.
Role: Editor
The first of multiple YouTube projects edited for The Awesome Lawsons, a creator brand with 8M+ followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, adapting each cut to their established voice, pacing, humor, and visual style.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A community-impact film documenting Women at Amazon’s record-setting donation drive—1,570 items valued at more than $38,000, the largest single donation in MDW7’s history.
Role: Producer • Director • Writer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
A research-driven visual essay exploring street photography through its history, philosophy, technique, and the instinct required to recognize meaningful moments in everyday life.
Role: Editor
Brought in as an emergency replacement editor after the couple was dissatisfied with the original cut, reshaping footage from a large multi-camera wedding production into a film ultimately embraced by both the couple and production team.
Role: Producer • Director • Writer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
A cinematic, narrative-driven photography film exploring how light, camera settings, and shutter speed shape the way photographers see and capture the world after dark.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A poetic narrative film created with Amazon People with Disabilities exploring inclusion, dignity, and how people with disabilities are perceived and valued.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
An event recap capturing Barnes Financial’s client appreciation experience while highlighting the value of life insurance as a financial resource during life—not only after death.
Role: Producer • Director • Writer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
An authored visual essay exploring how becoming a better photographer begins long before the camera comes out—by learning how to see.
Role: Editor
An episode of The Awesome Lawsons’ Chicago travel series, edited for their 4.6M+ subscriber YouTube channel while maintaining the established pacing, personality, humor, and visual language of their content.
Role: Producer • Cinematographer • Editor
An energetic event recap capturing a day of connection, celebration, and sisterhood with members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
An interview-driven film created for Heart2Heart Marriage Ministry exploring faith, commitment, and Jesus Christ as the foundation of marriage.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A mission-driven film created for Black Men Heal, highlighting the organization’s work around mental health, healing, and access to care in Black communities.
Role: Editor
The first long-form vlog for TV personality Kristen Gaffney, edited to establish the pacing, structure, and visual style of her YouTube content.
Role: Producer • Cinematographer • Editor
A before-and-after transformation documenting the renovation of an employee bathroom within MDW2’s East Dock.
Role: Editor
A fast-paced challenge video edited for The Awesome Lawsons’ 4.6M+ subscriber YouTube channel, built around reactions, escalating stakes, comedic timing, and the family’s established entertainment style.
Role: Producer • Director • Cinematographer • Editor
A grand-opening film introducing KAD Akademy, a 24/7 childcare center, its team, learning environments, and approach to serving working families.
Role: Producer • Director • Writer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
A heavily cinematic, narrative-driven short film exploring the emotional act of letting go.
Role: Producer • Cinematographer • Editor • On-Camera
An unscripted travel film shaped entirely from moments captured as they happened across Guatemala, turning a trip for a wedding into a larger story of place, people, and unexpected experiences.