Black-owned Businesses Build Communities. We're Putting That on Film.

STATS

20+ businesses spotlighted | 4 states and counting | 18 cities in the expansion

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WHY THIS SERIES EXISTS

The name comes from a foundational economic principle: a dollar spent at a local business turns over up to seven times within the community before it leaves. Most people have heard some version of this. Few have seen it brought to life.

We film with Black-owned, brick-and-mortar businesses with real physical presences in their neighborhoods and release each story in four cinematic clips on social media and YouTube. Every business we feature is a gathering space, an employer, a mentor, a driver of local growth. We show that on screen.

Our work has been covered by the Detroit Free Press and Iowa Public Radio. Our debut feature documentary, The Negro Artist, has screened 32 times across 6 states and earned 7 awards at 10 festivals, including an Oscar-qualifying festival in Northern California.

LATEST EPISODE

Chelsey Montgomery-Gusta's journey into dog training began when a therapist recommended an emotional support animal for her anxiety in college. Today she runs a premier boarding and training facility near Iowa City.

We have also spotlighted Malik Books, a Black-owned bookstore with two locations in Los Angeles. Check out our three-part series below.

Part I. "Activism"
Part II. "Spirit + Inspiration"
Part III. "Growth"

We also commission students and interns to write articles. Check out our written feature on the Donut Trap in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

WHAT YOUR DONATION FUNDS

Total budget for the 18-city expansion: $101,850. Here's what specific amounts unlock.

$50: Covers one day of cloud storage and backup, keeping every episode archived and accessible.

$175: Funds one full day of ground transport and meals on location in a new city.

$640: Covers four nights of hotel in one expansion city, enough to shoot an entire episode.

$2,500: Funds the full producer fee for one city: pre-production, shoot days, editing, and social delivery.

EXPANSION GOALS

With your support, we are expanding The Seven Times into 18 cities over three years. Your donation helps us:

• Film and release episodes in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Nashville, Miami, Seattle, and Baltimore in Year One (Summer 2026 – Fall 2027)
• Continue into Year Two with episodes in Jackson, Richmond, Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Birmingham, and Boston (Early 2028 – Early 2029)
• Purchase a Canon EOS C80 cinema camera and professional audio gear that meets streaming platform technical standards
• Recruit and compensate student journalists, videographers, and interns in each city, building the next generation of diverse media makers

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Nik Heftman is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. He spent more than five years producing stories for CBS Mornings in New York and Los Angeles, helping the show earn an Emmy for Outstanding Live News Program. He earned a journalism degree from Iowa State University, where he was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for outstanding breaking news reporting and by the Iowa Associated Press for feature writing. He serves on the advisory board of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State and is a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

His debut feature, The Negro Artist — about a Black spoken-word poet from Missouri — has screened 32 times across 6 states and earned 7 awards at 10 festivals.

Every dollar turns over seven times.

The Seven Times is fiscally sponsored through Creative Visions Foundation. Your donation is tax-deductible and goes directly to production.

Donate to The Seven Times Today!