Bass Lab Spotlight: Halline Overby
The Bass Lab has launched Monumental: an app dedicated to serving as a Black news landmark across the West Coast. The visual force behind the new development is Director of Photography and cinematographer Halline Overby.
For Overby, capturing the rebuilding of the Altadena community after the 2025 wildfires in more than videography – this is about supporting the Altadena community’s rebuilding efforts.
“I want people to come to Altadena, visit their stores, spend money and help rebuild. I want people to visit from a genuine place and not from a space of wanting to see burnt ruins. I want people to visit Altadena in a genuine light,” Overby said.
The Ladera Heights native described attending Santa Monica High School and living near Palisades. Overby witnessed the dwindling of Black communities not only in Los Angeles – but across the U.S. In understanding the destruction of Black communities and how the wildfires negatively impacted millions of people. This motivated him to document how the Altadena community is rebuilding post-wildfires.
“Black communities are dwindling all over the country – not just Los Angeles. I grew up in Ladera and Palisades was closer in terms of proximity and it was one of my favorite neighborhoods to drive through,” Overby said. “In understanding the Black history of it, the destruction of those fires still sits with me everyday. Going to Altadena was like a shortness of breath, feelings of anxiety, and having to compose myself because it hurt so deep.”
His storytelling is rooted in communal trust and ensuring he is telling community members’ stories authentically. Overby described the importance of building trust when a community has experienced significant trauma. He said that a significant portion of his time was spent speaking with community members and hearing their lived experiences. Through capturing the 2025 Rose Bowl Turkey Tussle, Overby further strengthened his relationship with the Altadena community.
“It was difficult stepping into a space where nobody knows your intentions. For the rivalry high school game between John Muir and Pasadena High School, they had a tailgating event called the Turkey Tussle which I shot. It was my first experience attending, not knowing one person, and putting myself forward by telling people who I am and what I’m working on,” Overby said. “We’re dealing with so much trauma and there have been cameras on them wanting certain experiences and stories. I just want to come at it from a place where I want to tell their story authentically. It’s bigger than just creating a video – it’s about building trust and relationships. That’s my overall intent.”
Overby credited Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena as a driving force in the Altadena community recovery process. The bookstore was spared by the wildfires and storeowner Nikiki High has facilitated community outreach and events to support rebuilding efforts.
“Octavia’s Bookshelf was spared by the fires and they’ve been doing a lot of community outreach as well throughout the recovery process,” Overby said. “The owner Nikki High has roots in Altadena and I believe her home is in Altadena – there’s a connection there.”
His vision for the Monumental App is to reflect the Altadena community and their rebuilding process. He aspires to use visual storytelling to capture the spirit of Altadena and encourage people to support the community’s rebuilding efforts.
“I want people to hear these stories and be a part of an archive where somebody can access it decades later,” Overby said. “I want them to see these videos and see a depiction of who they are – a depiction of what Altadena was and is.”