In 2018, Joaquin Oliver was killed in a horrific mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. The 2020 election would have been the first year he could have voted. Working with his parents and revolutionary AI technology, we brought Joaquin back to life digitally to deliver a message to all those who haven’t registered to vote yet.

The film showed Joaquin pleading for viewers to vote for him because he can’t vote himself. It drove viewers to unfinishedvotes.com where people could replace his vote and those of other gun violence victims.

Change the Ref was founded in the memory of Manuel and Patricia Oliver’s son, Joaquin, who was one of the 17 victims of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Manuel and Patricia are committed to making sure that their son’s life and the lives of the other 16 victims are never forgotten, and that real change happens to prevent future tragedies like this from happening ever again.

The only way they feel this can be achieved is if we engage the next generation and the generations after to get involved, fight for their values, beliefs, and have their voices heard.