Startup Salon: Film as Social Impact Innovation — Chris Temple (CMC’12)

When new ideas bring curiosity and empathy together with intention, they become a powerful force for innovation. On February 11th, the Hive hosted this semester’s Startup Salon: Film as Social Impact Innovation. The event highlighted the important intersection among creative practice, innovation, and social change, attracting students interested in both business and creative expression. Chris Temple (CMC’12) , co-founder of prestige documentary studio Optimist, told the unique and unexpected story of how Optimist began: with four CMC friends documenting their experience in Guatemala, living on one dollar a day.

During Chris’s sophomore year, he discovered that about 1.1 billion people worldwide live on less than 1 dollar a day. With a curiosity to better understand extreme poverty firsthand, he and three other CMC students traveled to Peña Blanca, Guatemala, to immerse themselves in this vastly different reality. During their trip, Chris began filming YouTube videos to share with their families and to document their experience. Thus, Living On One Dollar (2015) was born.

The film’s approach and process exemplify Chris’s main message to students: take risks, follow your curiosities, and see where they lead you. When curiosity compels you to put ideas into the world, it can lead to insightful and shocking realizations about what you’re exploring, or even about your own passions. The important self-actualization moment for Chris and his friends came when they realized that if they continued seeking knowledge and found a way to help just one person, their videos could have a significant social impact on many lives. Thus, Living On One Dollar (2015) was born.

The film raised $1.5 million for the community of Peña Blanca, which built and sponsored its first preschool, provided 1,700 small-business loans to female entrepreneurs, and funded scholarships for the first four women in the community to attend university. Optimist has continued to thrive over the last 10 years, creating several award-winning documentaries, including Salam Neighbor (2015), The Undocumented Lawyer (2021), and State of Firsts (2025). As a CMC alumnus, Chris’s return to campus offers students a tangible example of how a creative path can lead to impactful and successful work.