Alicia and Renato Ghio are a dynamic duo. The married couple are the creative masterminds behind RmediA, a full-service video production company in Danbury that makes compelling videos to help people communicate their message.
Recently, RmediA received the Award of Excellence, the highest honor in the 32nd Annual Communicator Awards, for “William Tong: The American Dream,” a video produced for The New American Dream Foundation (TNADF) gala honoring Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, the first Asian-American elected statewide in Connecticut. The project was recognized in the General Non-Profit Video category among more than 3,000 entries submitted worldwide by agencies, brands, production companies, design firms, and more.
“At this time in history, stories of immigrants and their families are more important than ever,” said Renato Ghio.
For the Ghios, receiving the Award of Excellence was meaningful. “It confirmed that a story we cared about hit home beyond our client and our community. After more than 25 years, the relationships we’ve built and the trust clients place in us matter most. But having peers in our industry recognize the work at a national level is definitely gratifying,” said Alicia Ghio.
Renato Ghio added that they don’t enter many competitions. “So, when we do it’s because we believe we’ve created something special,” Renato Ghio said.
Emanuela Palmares, vice president and program director of TNADF, a nonprofit that celebrates, inspires, and supports immigrants and their families across generations, appreciated how the video highlighted a true immigrant experience.
“Immigrants always have that doubt,” Palmares said. “I wanted people to see and feel potential. When you watch the video, you feel the struggle of William Tong from the mountaintop to how he sees himself in the kitchen with his family. He was vulnerable in sharing that experience. It’s a powerful video.”
Palmares has worked with RmediA for 9 years to bring immigrant stories to life. “I like that they’re hyper-local with a global vision. I knew they cared for our community and our vision, and would be able to tell stories for our foundation,” Palmares said. “Alicia and Renato are good storytellers because they’re good listeners. They’re curious, and they’re caring, compassionate people who have a way of humanizing emotions.”
According to their website, The Communicator Awards recognize excellence, effectiveness and innovation across all areas of communication. The platform provides an equal chance to all entrants regardless of company, organization, or agency size and project budget. The awards are evaluated by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA), an assembly of more than 1,100 industry leaders from acclaimed brands, institutions and agencies. This year’s Jury included experts from JPMorgan Chase & Co., FedEx, Netflix, Big Spaceship, National Geographic Society, Accenture Song, Critical Mass, NAACP, The Andy Warhol Museum, and others.
The William Tong video runs 5 1/2 minutes. “Emotionally it’s honest,” Alicia Ghio said. “The story is deeply personal, but also universal. It’s about family, sacrifice, identity, and opportunity. Those are themes people connect with.
“This video highlighted the experiences that shaped Attorney General Tong’s path from the son of immigrants to becoming the first Asian American elected statewide in Connecticut history. His interview is the total narrative, and through a little b-roll, personal family photos, and campaign imagery, we told his story.”
The story of RmediA
According to Renato, they are documentarians at heart. “We ask questions, listen, help guide a conversation, but allow people to talk,” Renato Ghio said.
Alicia said she writes with other people’s words. “My journalism background taught me to listen first and let the subject tell the story.”
In their work, RmediA’s goal is to create stories with a revelatory purpose. “We help people communicate why their work matters,” Alicia Ghio added. “Whether it’s a nonprofit raising money, a business launching a product, or a community organization inspiring volunteers, every project starts with the same question: ‘Why should someone care?’ Pretty pictures get attention, stories create connection – our work does both.”
RmediA works locally, regionally, and nationally, creating video campaigns for brands like BIC and the UCONN Huskies.
“Maybe closest to our hearts, we work with many local nonprofits like The Center for Empowerment and Education, Danbury Student and Business Connection, Food Rescue US, Avon Theatre, Connecticut Institute for Communities, Community Action Agency. Most recently we produced a video for the City of Danbury 250 gala which meant a lot to us personally.”
RmediA was founded in 1999 as a side business; it went full-time in 2001.
“We didn’t have investors or a grand business plan,” said Alicia Ghio, former small-town newspaper journalist who worked in technical writing and communications at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). “We had an equipment loan, a tiny office, a little savings, and a belief that we could create better work by doing things our own way.”
At WCSU, Renato Ghio studied video production and worked in the university’s Media Department then became a freelance videographer and also worked for a local video production company.
The Ghios believe their different backgrounds are their greatest strengths. “Our skillsets and personalities complement each other. More than 25 years later, we’re still building the business together,” said Renato. “We’re still students of our craft. We never want to become complacent or rely on doing things simply because ‘that’s how we’ve always done it.’ The day we think we’ve mastered this craft is probably the day we should retire.”
