Skip to content
Reading time: 3 minutes

“Kapolei in Common” video by UH West Oʻahu student Micah Niinuma

Videos produced by Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu students have been given a unique showcase. In September, Kapolei Commons announced its new “Kapolei in Common” campaign, which features a collaboration with the program.

The campaign for Kapolei Commons—a 425,000-square-foot outdoor shopping center—is community-focused and celebrates west-side pride. It aims to bring happiness and no-strings-attached smiles to the West Oʻahu community through a variety of pop-up activities, events and promotions.

Student editing with screens
Keola Iseri
Two students editing with a computer
Nadine Castillo (right) and Micah Niinuma
Woman pointing at a screen
Media event at Kapolei Commons featuring a video produced by UH West Oʻahu ACM students.

As part of the marketing plan, Academy for Creative Media at UH West Oʻahu students Nadine Castillo, Keola Iseri and Micah Niinuma were tasked with producing four short-form videos for the shopping center’s social media.

They created “A Day in the Life” videos featuring Kapolei community members. The videos provide a snapshot into their everyday lives, cultivating connection and celebrating all that West Oʻahu has to offer, according to a press release.

“I really enjoyed the challenge of bridging the life and stories of four different families. Although everybody lives different lives, we share multiple important values,” said Niinuma.

The Creative Media students were also tasked with producing one-minute trailers that will run at Kapolei Commons’ Regal Theatres.

“At first, I was nervous thinking about how things would go because this was my first time working on a large project that would be showcased to a whole city,” Castillo said. “But, it does feel great knowing I was able to help create something a community can enjoy together.”

Sharla Hanaoka, director of the Academy for Creative Media at UH West Oʻahu, said the project is giving her students real-world opportunities.

“It allows the students to share their skills and talent for storytelling by helping someone else share their stories,” Hanaoka said. “Projects like these promote empathy and opportunity for our students to look beyond themselves and to really see where they could fit in the industry.”

The goal is to connect neighborhoods and neighbors, according to Patrick Kobayashi, president and chief executive officer of Kobayashi Group, which is one of the co-developers of Kapolei Commons along with The MacNaughton Group and Craig Realty Group.

“We hope to bring joy to the community through simple pleasures and surprising delights that pay it forward,” Kobayashi said. “We could all use a bit of that right now.”

Read more in Ka Puna O Kaloʻi.

—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman

Back To Top