Case Study:
Strategic Creative Direction &
Documentary Storytelling Campaigns
for Beirut and Beyond

Context (Inside the Jar)

Beirut and Beyond is a Colorado-based nonprofit providing assistance to Palestinian refugee communities across the Middle East, funding Palestinian-led organizations through grants, projects, resources, and mentorship, while educating Western audiences on Palestinian refugee narratives and advocating for refugee rights.

From 2018 to 2023, I served as pro bono Creative Direction Consultant, building and stewarding the organization's visual identity across five years of campaigns, events, fundraisers, and on-the-ground documentary work in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan.

Creative Direction

Brand Voice + Visual Identity

I defined, directed, and executed creative assets for omni-channel campaigns spanning social media, print, event collateral, and digital fundraising, ensuring alignment with brand messaging for diverse audiences across North America and the Middle East.

Documentary + Lens-Based Storytelling

On two international trips to refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan, I directed and produced on-the-ground documentary photography – capturing portraits, community life, cooking classes, and advocacy work with Palestinian refugee women. These images became the visual foundation for campaigns, grant proposals, and storytelling initiatives connecting global audiences to the humanity of Palestinian refugee communities.

Volunteer Storyteller Dispatch 📍 Gaza Camp, 2023

“I spent time with the librarian Shaima'a capturing her story and talking about why this space matters so much to women in Gaza Camp. She told me it's not just about reading for them – it's a safe place to gather where they are known and free to be themselves, and where they come to explore new ideas and grow into the women they want to become. When I'm here, I see how this place is the lifeblood of the camp.”

–Shelby Mathis, reporting for Beirut and Beyond
from Gaza Palestinian Refugee Camp

Creative Highlights

Ten Years of Beirut and Beyond Anniversary Campaign
A milestone social campaign documenting a decade of impact, anchored by on-the-ground photography and the organizing theme: Impact · Partnership · Connection.
Simsim Kitchen Cookbook Campaigns & Grants
I translated campaign storytelling and documentary assets into winning grant proposals ($20,000 over two years) and campaigns for critical Beirut and Beyond projects. The campaigns celebrated Palestinian and refugee women through food, story, and cultural identity, supported the Simsim Kitchen cookbook project, and grew capacity to navigate grant-funded storytelling work from concept through successful award.
Palestinian Refugee Cooking Classes, Denver + Online
Campaign and event collateral for live Palestinian cooking classes hosted in Aurora and Denver, Colorado, and a companion online class series broadcast live from Beirut, Lebanon, directly connected Colorado communities to Palestinian refugee women through food and shared table experience.
International Women's Day Women's Portraits Series
A portrait campaign featuring Palestinian and refugee women by name, each framed around a single character trait or action: inspire, advocate, educate, influence. Documentary photography taken by Shelby on location.
Urgent Request: Medicine for Lebanon
Campaign graphics produced during crisis in Lebanon – COVID-19 response, post-Beirut Blast, and economic collapse – mobilizing emergency medical supply fundraising for communities in need.

Impact

Campaigns designed during my tenure contributed to 13–50% year-over-year donation growth across 2018–2023
Emergency Medicine for Lebanon campaign raised over $10,000 in two weeks in August 2021
International Women's Day campaigns raised $3,000 for refugee women's mental health programming and employed a professional librarian in the only library in Gaza Camp, serving more than 3,000 refugees
Grants, cooking classes, and impact campaigns directed proceeds to the Simsim Kitchen – a Palestinian refugee women's income-generating cooking initiative – which funded the $20,000 cookbook production and homebase for the organization
On-the-ground documentary photography from two international trips to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan served as the visual foundation for campaigns, winning grant proposals, and storytelling initiatives across five years.