Barry Frechette

Director of Creative Services
Connelly Partners

PASSION:

In a world where so much storytelling is driven by divisiveness, Barry emphasizes empathy. With a passion for people, their stories and the video medium, Barry shines a light on the untold stories of veterans and those who do good against the odds.

 

IMPACT:

Barry (co-director, executive producer) and Max Esposito (co-director, director of photography, editor) created Paper Lanterns, the critically-acclaimed documentary about Normand Brissette and Ralph Neal, two American POWs killed in Hiroshima, and Shigeaki Mori, a Japanese survivor who refused to let them be forgotten. The horrors they witnessed. The families that struggled to find the truth. And one man’s effort to give them the gift of closure. 

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/181266396 

Paper Lanterns has given voice to a community whose stories would have gone untold. The documentary has appeared globally at 30+ film festivals. The US Embassy/Tokyo sponsored a tour of the film throughout Japan; it was screened at the UN four times, and for the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Mori was honored by President Obama, the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima. 

In 2018, Barry and his team raised $20,000 for Mori’s first visit to the US. Mori spent Memorial Day with veterans’ families, screened the film at the UN, and presented the game ball with veterans’ families at Fenway.

While Barry worked on this project outside of Connelly Partners, he’s put into practice the agency’s purpose to be Defiantly Human⏤ prioritizing empathy, compassion and the unique stories of humans.