DUSTIN SCHIRER

BIG SLICK Celebrity Weekend

Director / Production Lead / Editor
Children’s Mercy

I’ve been part of Big Slick for more than 15 years, and it’s one of the projects I’m proudest to be a small part of.

The weekend raises money for pediatric cancer research and care at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

My role is to lead the video team throughout the weekend, capturing everything from hospital visits and behind-the-scenes moments to the softball game and the live show at T-Mobile Center. It’s a fast-moving weekend with a lot happening at once, and our job is to make sure the best moments—and sometimes the craziest ones—don’t slip by.

The part of the weekend that sticks with me most is directing and editing the Fund-a-Need patient stories. Spending time at the hospital, hearing families tell their stories, and getting to know the kids behind the fundraising has a way of putting everything else into perspective. Those stories become the heartbeat of the night and a reminder of why thousands of people show up every year.

Once the show ends, it’s time to relive all of it. Our team turns around recap films, social content, press assets, and broadcast-ready edits that help share the impact far beyond Kansas City. Some of it ends up on Instagram. Some of it ends up on Good Morning America. All of it helps keep the mission moving long after the last pitch is thrown.

After 15 years, I still leave every Big Slick weekend exhausted, grateful, and reminded that storytelling can do a lot more than entertain people. Sometimes it can genuinely help change lives.