Not just a Team. Welcome to our Family.

Levi Gershkowitz
Founder + CEO

  • Levi is a compassionate writer, photographer and film director with a love for people and the stories they carry. His approach to storytelling humanizes the experiences of people in life-limiting situations and through Living in the Light (LITL), leads a team of equally insightful individuals.

    His passion as a patient advocate began as a child, volunteering for National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association (NTSAD). In 2012, he founded LITL as a platform to highlight previously untold stories and bolster the unique wisdom and beauty of the rare disease community.

    He holds a B.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and in addition to his dedication to LITL, is a practitioner of Thai Massage, Contact Improvisation and an amateur musician.

“Meaningful advocacy is similar to great photography—it happens at the confluence of seeing and being seen.” Levi

Phil Toran
Production Manager

  • Phil is a seasoned documentary filmmaker with a vision. At the core of his work is empathy, along with a genuine care for and curiosity about people. As a father of two children, the vulnerability and connection he feels in working directly with families is palpable. He loves to ask questions and address their responses creatively, using music and the power of cinematography to elevate the connection we feel to the diverse stories we learn from members of the rare disease community. Whether behind the lens or in the editing helm, Phil’s passion is unwavering and his dedication resonates throughout the rest of Living in the Light.

    Outside of his work in film, Phil partakes in various fundraising events in support of active duty military, veterans, and their families. He currently resides in Murcia, Spain with his wife and children. Phil enjoys playing roller and ice hockey with his friends and extensive global travel. He holds a degree from Fairfield University, with a major in Film (concentration in cinematography) and a double minor in music and marketing.

“Creativity is within all of us. It is innate. But it must be exercised.” Phil

Brandon Heath
Photographer + Videographer

  • A luminary in Atlanta's creative scene, Brandon blends photography, videography, and technical finesse. His genuine compassion and care for people expresses itself naturally in how he interacts with all the families and individuals he works with through Living in the Light.

    Introduced to the art by his mother, he was captivated early on--from Spike Lee. As Brandon's photography journey began, it inspired backyard scenes and mastering angles through freehand drawing.

    Passion for visual media and humanity birthed Heath Film and Photo. Collaborating internationally with She Saves A Nation fueled his commitment. Partnering with Living in the Light reshaped his outlook, anchoring his faith-driven compassion. Brandon strives to better the world, one captured moment at a time.

“I believe that visual media has the ability to touch our lives in a powerful way. The thing I love most about my career is being able to bring joy and pride into the lives of the people who entrust me with preserving their precious memories. For that, I am honored and grateful.” Brandon

Jeff Reinhardt
Director of Advocacy

  • Jeff joined Living the Light as one of our original employees back in 2014. In the decade since, his life has been reshaped by the people he has met and befriended, both those living with rare genetic diseases and their caregivers. As he continues to work directly with nearly all of our participants he has proven himself as a valuable advocate and ally of the rare disease community.
    ​
    Jeff’s interest in writing first bloomed at Emerson College where he received his B.F.A. He lived in Tucson, AZ for several years doing humanitarian work on the US-Mexico border with the organization No More Deaths and currently resides in Vermont, where he remains active in the community as a cook, musician, and farmer.

“From listening and storytelling we derive the truest human compassion. It reminds us of our commonalities and forges bridges over the broadest of waters.”
Jeff

Gabriel Tusinski
Project & Account Director

  • Gabriel is an ethnographic researcher and social science educator whose worldview is driven by a profound curiosity about how people live differently around the world. Trained as a socio-cultural and linguistic anthropologist, he is committed to understanding the little details that give meaning and texture to our everyday lives. He believes that understanding begins with sustained immersion to a community and continued engagement with real people–harnessing a mindset and skillset that translate well into supporting members of the rare disease ecosystem.

    He has lived and worked on five continents, most recently as a university professor and lecturer in Singapore, where he built and administered pedagogical programming for an MIT-affiliated university and the premier honors college in Asia. He has taught classes on material culture, architecture, design anthropology, and how visual technologies change our sense of reality. 

    He has an M.A. and PhD in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in anthropology from Reed College. Gabriel grew up in the hills of Western Massachusetts on an organic farm. He enjoys traveling, walking outdoors, gardening, gathering wild mushrooms, cooking, and preserving food. When not working he can usually be found playing and making up stories with his 4-year old son Alexander. 

“Through researching peoples’ cultural orientations to language, I have come to learn how best to understand their struggles and be of service.” Gabriel

Jaime Carpenter
Photographer + Head of Social Media

  • Jaime was first introduced to LITL in 2018—while living in Spain, her family’s story about traveling the world with two children with glycogen storage disease 1a (GSD1a) was featured by LITL. A friendship formed and as Jaime's skills as a photographer progressed, she later joined the team.

    Jaime first honed her craft through a passion of sharing her family’s journeys and adventure, using their images as inspiration to others also dealing with medical obstacles to still live life to the fullest and pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.

    Prior to becoming a traveling mom, Jaime worked in sports medicine with Olympians and NCAA Division I athletes. Life changed when her first, and then second child was diagnosed with GSD1a. These events birthed a rare disease advocate, and Jaime now finds great meaning in connecting with other rare disease families, helping to visually tell their stories. 

    Jaime currently resides with her family in Boulder, CO and holds a master’s degree in Sports Medicine: Kinesiology through the University of Virginia. 

“Sometimes life throws unexpected things into our paths and we feel like we are going to lose our minds, but then we end up finding our soul. I found mine again through a camera.” Jaime