Zach Moore and his wife Rachel at the first screening of “Compromised: Life Without Immunity” in June 2024.How do you ask somebody questions about the worst experience of their life, all while filming their response? That was the dilemma facing 2014 University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate Zach Moore recently as he created a documentary in his role as Communications Manager of Digital Media for the non-profit Immune Deficiency Foundation.
The film, “Compromised: Life Without Immunity,” tells the stories of six people who are dealing with immunodeficiencies. It was basically a one-person production, with Moore traveling to the patients’ homes, setting up lights and a camera, and then asking for details about their debilitating medical condition. “I was very nervous about doing that,” said Moore.
Then Moore remembered some of the lessons he learned at UAB’s College of Arts and Sciences while studying communication, broadcasting, and creative writing. In particular, he recalled the interviewing techniques taught by Associate Professor Jacquelyn Shaia, Ph.D., J.D., in one of her journalism classes.
“She gave so much advice about how to make people comfortable when you are interviewing them … That helped me a lot in terms of creating the documentary,” said Moore. “It has surprised me over the years just how many things I learned at UAB that translate across different disciplines.”
Moore’s film premiered at the Primary Immunodeficiency conference in Chicago this past June. Afterward, he received rave reviews from the most important critics of all: the patients themselves.
“All six of them talked about how comfortable they were during the interview process,” said Moore. “Hearing people say that I was able to make them comfortable enough to talk about these horrible things they’ve endured is one of the most soaring emotional experiences I’ve ever had.”
A native of Pisgah, Alabama, Moore arrived at UAB in 2012 after spending two years studying theater at Northeast Alabama Community College. He started out majoring in theater at UAB as well, but switched to communication studies because he says, “I’ve always enjoyed writing and talking to people.”
After graduating from UAB, Moore was in search of his next step. He worked in several communication-related fields, ranging from sports broadcasting to creating autobody repair instructional videos.
Through it all, Moore says he was seeking something that would have more of a societal impact while also giving him satisfaction on a personal level. Moore says that is precisely what he found once he began working for Immune Deficiency Foundation in 2022.
“I wanted the chance to see people being helped by the work I was doing,” said Moore. “The Immune Deficiency Foundation allows me to contribute that way through the culture and the mission of what they are trying to do. They provide advocacy for people with these rare, genetic immune disorders, helping get educational resources for what can be a really complicated diagnosis with expensive medication.“For me, that translates mainly to podcast and video work. We currently have four podcast programs going on covering the long and arduous journey for people with these rare disorders. I am just incredibly grateful that I get to work in a field that is creative, but can use the skills that I learned at UAB to do something where I can see a positive impact.”
