Hélène Goupil | Documentary Editor & Producer | San Francisco
Photo by Sabrina Bot (MerciSF)
I believe the most powerful stories are the ones that get out of the way and let people speak for themselves.
I'm an award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and video producer with 15 years of experience helping editorial teams, nonprofits, and foundations turn complex topics into clear, human-centered video stories — from first conversation to final cut.
My work has been funded by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Carnegie-Knight News21, and Still I Rise Films. I've produced and edited content for organizations including the United Nations Population Fund, Yahoo, and NBC Universal, reaching audiences across web, social, educational, and international platforms.
My documentary The Seed — a 10-year portrait of San Francisco's "Flower Man" navigating housing displacement — won the Grand Prize at the UN Association Film Festival and the San Francisco Independent Short Film Festival, and screened at the Harlem International Film Festival. The Mission, following a community activist's response to COVID-19 in San Francisco's Latino community, premiered at the San Francisco Documentary Festival.
I've led newsroom teams, managed multi-stakeholder productions, and taught visual journalism at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. I'm drawn to projects where accuracy, empathy, and impact all matter equally.
I'm bilingual in English and French, with experience producing voice-over, translation, and culturally adapted content for Francophone audiences — and helping French-speaking organizations connect with U.S. audiences.
Get in touch with me at helenegoupil@gmail.com