David Alexander

Selected Work Case studies & film credits below
YearTitleClient / Platform 
UNHCR — United Nations, 2021–Present
2025
The Story of Wenyen Gabriel
The Story of Wenyen Gabriel UNHCR
NBA player Wenyen Gabriel on his journey from refugee camp to professional basketball.
UNHCR
→
 2024
Sudan: One Year of War
Sudan: One Year of War TIME
Op-doc with UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi on the Sudan crisis.
TIME Ideas Op-Doc
→
The Fire Brigade — Mauritania
Case Study  ·  The New Yorker Documentary  ·  2024

From Field Mission
to The New Yorker

Transforming a standard UNHCR content mission into a globally recognised cinematic documentary.

Read Case Study →
2024
Global Displacement Data
Global Displacement Data: These Are Not Just Numbers UNHCR
UNHCR's first public-facing integration of AI voiceover — produced using ElevenLabs for the Global Trends data report.
UNHCR
→
 2023
Cash Assistance
How Financial Assistance Works for Refugees in an Emergency UNHCR
Explaining UNHCR's emergency cash assistance programmes to global audiences.
UNHCR
→
 2022
Tales of Hope in Portugal
Tales of Hope in Portugal UNHCR
Stories of refugee resilience and integration in Portugal.
UNHCR
→
 2023
Global Trends Report
UNHCR Global Trends Report UNHCR
110 million people forcibly displaced — visualising the scale of the global refugee crisis.
UNHCR
→
 2022
Memories of Displacement
Memories of Displacement UNHCR
A journey through the UNHCR archives.
UNHCR
→
 2023
Meheba
Meheba: From Refuge to Resilience UNHCR
A refugee settlement becomes a hub of self-reliance. Zambia.
UNHCR
→
Nansen Refugee Award — Geneva
Case Study  ·  UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award  ·  Geneva

Cinematic Advocacy:
Reversing Donor Fatigue

Using high-stakes storytelling to secure the future of a global humanitarian landmark.

Read Case Study →
Freelance — Foundations, Philanthropy & Editorial
2019
Elton John in South Africa
Elton John Meets LGBTQI Youth in South Africa EJAF
Part of a larger body of work produced for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in South Africa.
EJAF
→
 2019
A Mother's Moment
A Mother's Moment: Ending HIV Transmission EJAF
Documenting the fight to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission in Lesotho.
EJAF
→
With Elton John — South Africa
Case Study  ·  Elton John AIDS Foundation  ·  2015–2019

Global Narrative
Systems

Humanizing the fight against HIV — a multi-country storytelling body to shift public perception and secure high-stakes advocacy.

Read Case Study →
2018
Charlize Theron
Starkey + Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Initiative Starkey / CTAOI
Field film documenting hearing missions across Africa.
Starkey / CTAOI
→
 2016
Starkey visits the Dalai Lama
Starkey Hearing Foundation Visits the Dalai Lama Starkey
On the ground in Dharamsala as Starkey brings hearing aids to Tibetan refugees — and meets the Dalai Lama.
Starkey
→
 2017
Virgin Unite + Starkey
Virgin Unite + Starkey Hearing Foundation Virgin Unite
Documenting the partnership between Virgin Unite and Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Virgin Unite
→
 2016
The Refugee Rapper
The Refugee Rapper The Atlantic
A Syrian refugee finds his voice through hip-hop in Athens, Greece.
The Atlantic
→
 2013
Digital Jobs Africa
Digital Jobs Africa Rockefeller Foundation
How digital employment is transforming livelihoods across the continent.
Rockefeller Foundation
→
 2013
Chhouk the Elephant
Chhouk: The Elephant with a Prosthetic Foot Wildlife Alliance
A young elephant's survival story in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.
Wildlife Alliance
→
Video Blogs — Personal Work
2017
London Tube 360
Day in the Life of a Geezer (London Tube 360) Personal
Experimenting with 360 camera technology on the London Underground.
Personal
→
 2019
Aerial Athens
Aerial Athens Personal
Athens from above.
Personal
→
 2022
Rhone meets Arve
Where the Rhône Meets the Arve
A strange natural phenomenon at the confluence of two Geneva rivers. Original music by David Alexander.
Personal
→
 2021
Massive Cycle
Regular Guy Does Massive Cycle Personal
Riding a single speed around Lake Geneva. Original music by David Alexander.
Personal
→
 2020
London Lockdown
London Lockdown Day 1 Personal
A video diary from the first day of lockdown in London. Original music by David Alexander.
Personal
→
 2017
DIY Selfie Stick
DIY Selfie "Stick" Personal
Building a DIY camera rig and taking it around London.
Personal
→

About

Everything
is interesting.

My work sits at the intersection of journalism, documentary filmmaking, and strategic communications — shaped by over 15 years working in complex international environments, usually with a camera close by. I create emotive, visually driven narratives that make complicated issues feel immediate, relatable, and real.

Based Geneva, Switzerland
Current Video Production Officer, UNHCR — since 2021
Education M.S., Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2011
Teaching Guest lecturer, Sciences Po Paris — Impact & Documentary Production
David Alexander
Published in
The New Yorker TIME Wall Street Journal The Atlantic ABC News The Economist Mashable

Be
in touch.

Email

daveisyourfriend@gmail.com

Phone

+1 310-666-7885

Location

Geneva, Switzerland