FROM THE SOURCE
proof of concept clip for artlist 100k 2025 competition

tell us about yourself and why you should win

tell us what you’d create with $100,000

We’re Alia and Maro — married creative partners and product developers who’ve spent the last decade building physical products with people around the world. We don’t just know how things are made — we know who makes them, and we’ve built lasting relationships with the factories, artisans, and suppliers behind some of the world’s most beloved products.

We believe there’s something deeply human about the act of making. Behind every item you touch is someone’s hands, someone’s process, someone’s story. This show is our love letter to those people — and an invitation for the world to see them.

In a hyper-digital world, this story matters more than ever. As AI and tech evolve, we still need the physical products, and tools that bring those innovations to life. From the Source puts faces and hands to the things the world still relies on — and reminds us that progress is always built by people. This isn’t just a show we want to make — it’s a story we feel responsible to tell.

With $100,000, we’d produce the first four episodes of From the Source, a docu-style series exploring how the world’s favorite products are made—and the people who bring them to life. For this initial season, we’ll stay domestic, traveling across the U.S. to reconnect with our longtime manufacturing partners and tell their stories from the inside out.

Think Shay Mitchell’s Thirst meets How It’s Made, but relationship-driven, personality-led, and built on years of trust. We’re not flying in cold. These are people we’ve built with.

Each episode will take place in a different American city or town. One might feature a third-generation denim mill in the South, another a female-run skincare lab in the Midwest. We’ll show the craft, the culture, the people, and the process. And we’ll share meals, swap stories, and explore the human side of what it takes to make something that lasts.

The budget will support a lean, experienced crew (DP, audio, field producer), domestic travel, location logistics, and full post-production. We’ll film in real environments—no sets, no recreations—just honest, beautifully captured moments of people doing what they do best.

This isn’t a globe-trot for the sake of scenery. It’s an intimate, cinematic portrait of American makers and the magic they create every day.