Downtown Doors Open: Trinity Center and ODIE

We are proud to call Trinity Center a Production Partner on ODIE.

If you have spent time downtown, you may know the building without knowing the work. Trinity Center operates on the campus of St. David's Episcopal Church in downtown Austin. It is its own nonprofit, distinct from the church whose campus it shares, and in their own words: "Trinity Center addresses the basic needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in downtown Austin. Through hospitality, practical assistance, and supportive services, we work to help people meet immediate needs while connecting them to resources that can support long-term stability and pathways out of homelessness."

It is exactly the kind of place our film is about: a real room where a hard day can turn.

Trinity gave the production two of its most important sets. The downtown clinic, where Odie's day slams into the machinery of paperwork and waiting rooms, shot inside and around the campus, including the single biggest page count of our entire schedule. Trinity also made the Manchaca Shelter location possible on the south side. Two pillars of the story, one partner.

The structure mirrored our partnership with Sunrise, because we think this is the right way to do it. Community members were paid background artists in the film, real people from the world the story depicts, on the call sheet and compensated like every other performer. Trinity receives a "Production Partner" credit in the end crawl, the film's complete footage library after post for its own storytelling, a dedicated community screening, and seats at the premiere. And Trinity had a genuine voice in how its community appears on screen.

One promise we made early and kept daily: Trinity's operations came first. We scheduled around their services, not the other way around. When the choice was between our shot and their work, their work won. That was never a burden on the production. That was the point of the production.

Executive Director Christian Rodriguez put it this way: "We appreciated the opportunity to partner with the ODIE team and to help tell a story rooted in our community. We hope the film encourages viewers to see people experiencing homelessness as individuals with stories, relationships, and inherent dignity."

So do we. Thank you, Christian, and thank you to the whole Trinity Center team, for opening your doors to this story and holding us to the standard it deserved.