Tell us a bit about your organization and what your specialty is in the film and video space.

The Advocates with Sonia Baghdady is a half-hour weekly television show that shares inspirational stories celebrating people making a difference and finding solutions for challenges in our world. This consumer-friendly lifestyle show features interviews and investigations ranging from money matters to wellness, the environment, health trends, animals, and more. Meet unsung heroes, celebrities, and everyday people advocating for inspiration, encouragement, hope, solutions, and community.

What is your organization’s ethos and how does it set you apart from industry competitors?

We don’t cover politics or the news of the day. We provide programming that inspires and informs.

How can people join or learn more about what you do?

Sure! Head over to www.theadvocateson.com

Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?

The show won a 2025 Telly Award for an investigative episode titled “Nowhere to Go.” It revealed a shortage of domestic violence shelters for people with pets and for the queer community, leaving them with nowhere to turn if they need to escape an abusive relationship.

What are you most proud of about this piece? What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?

We are most proud to shine a light on the issues facing vulnerable people. The episode offers solutions and highlights organizations that are working to build additional shelters to help those in need during a crisis.

Do you have any advice to other filmmakers based on your career or your team’s approach to work?

Interviewing people directly involved in or affected by a topic, and allowing them to tell their story in their own words, is one of the most compelling ways to tell a story.

Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?

We learned so much making this episode. For example, research shows that women are more likely to stay in a violent relationship if they are unable to escape with their pet.

Tell us about the most memorable response you got from this work.

We won a 2025 Telly Award! :) Hearing the praise from the organization and victims of domestic violence to spotlight this topic.

Complete this sentence: ‘Great video storytelling is…’

…capturing the true heart and soul of a topic and the people you interview, so that it’s memorable, it moves people to act, and leaves them saying, “I didn’t know that. How can I help?”