About Me
Filmmaker. Writer. Storyteller.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved a good story. In the heart of Central Appalachia where I grew up, stories are part of the culture. My dad told me stories while we drove through the mountains in his Ford pickup; my Granny told them while she pulled a hot cast iron skillet of biscuits out of the oven. Stories were everywhere, and they taught me about who I was and where I came from.
As I got older, though, I learned that stories had a dark side, especially when they were used against you. It didn’t take long for me to realize that people from outside Appalachia didn’t see our place the same way I did. When I tried to understand why, I found an answer in media. Pick just about any popular media portrayal of Appalachia, and it’s probably not a positive one. Stories had told the rest of the world that the place I loved was full of hopeless, degenerate people. Sure, we had our problems, but popular media wasn’t giving anyone the full picture. I wanted to do something to change that.
From that point on, I became passionate about media and the ways it could be used to help people instead of harm them. With an interest in both visual media and the written word, I got my undergraduate degree from Western Kentucky University in TV & Film Production with a minor in Creative Writing (and several Journalism courses thrown in for good measure) in 2017. Afterward, I worked at WBKO Television in Bowling Green, KY for about 2 1/2 years, where I improved my technical skills and learned the ropes of the news business by writing and filming commercials and news content. But I knew that my true passion laid in documentary, and I wanted to learn how to tell stories using both technologies and methodologies that challenged the status quo. So, in 2019 I began my graduate studies in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program, where all my interests could intermingle: my research focused on counter-representation, co-creation, and web and digital documentary. Upon graduating, I began a role as a producer for Kentucky Educational Television, where I create segments for TV and the web that highlight some of Kentucky’s most important people, places, and events. I also co-produced my first feature film, Becoming bell hooks, which details the life and legacy of trailblazing feminist and Kentuckian bell hooks.
While I remain a passionate advocate for Appalachia and its people, I believe that many communities in the U.S. and the world face issues similar to those I grew up recognizing, issues which are exacerbated by under- and misrepresentation in the media. In my work, I aim to use the tools I have been given to allow communities to define themselves to the world, rather than the other way around. Whether through traditional media such as TV and film or emerging technologies on the web and elsewhere, I believe deeply in the power of stories to change minds and hearts, leading to tangible change in policy, community action, and one-to-one interaction between individuals, and I want to help lead the charge.