As a scientist-turned-journalist, Kate works to elevate authentic voices in science storytelling and find new angles for overlooked stories while keeping humor and humanization of the narrative at the forefront. She has collaborated with the Washington Post, National Park Service, United States Department of State, National Geographic Education, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of California San Diego, among others. I caught up with Kate to learn more about transitioning from PhD research to journalism, her show Wavelengths, and the advantages of working on a tight-knit film crew.

I’d love to start with what brought you into the filmmaking world after completing your PhD. Did you always envision yourself pursuing this path?

For my PhD research, I studied how corals survive and was lucky enough to spend time in some of the most beautiful places on earth, not to mention spending hundreds of hours underwater! That said, I wasn’t interested in research and the academic world long term as I wanted to take my degree outside of academia to help further the goals of scientists and conservationists. For me, the PhD was a way to get the experience and understanding of the science system, and then use that knowledge to share and communicate the work being done more effectively.

Since then, I’ve started my media company, Tiny Beaker Media, and have been making short science documentaries and writing as a science journalist with outlets like National Geographic and the Washington Post. My goal with Tiny Beaker is to make smart, funny, and cute content. I try to make sure the scientist is comfortable enough so that their personality comes across in the scene, while incorporating metaphors and humor as appropriate. We always have an animated breakdown and a link to current research with each of the pieces we produce.

You’ve most recently been hard at work with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, producing, hosting, and writing the show Wavelengths. How did this project come to be?

I’m pretty sure the original idea was Rob’s and he first mentioned it to me at a happy hour many years ago. Over time the idea became more concrete, and once we had filmmakers Jeff and his colleague Kyle on board, we formally sat down with the Scripps Communication team to pitch them a series plan.

We have an amazing tiny team that works on this show, so all of the roles are collaborative and we help each other. I write the scripts, edit, and co-produce the show with my exceptional colleagues, Jeff Hester, Lauren Fimbres-Wood, and Rob Monroe. Lauren and Rob usually start by sharing a list of topics and possible scientists to interview. I’ll usually have a few scientists to add to the list as well. At that point, we narrow it down in our brainstorming discussions and I follow up with pre-interviews to see what the story might look like.

Once that’s done and we’ve finalized our topics, I write the first draft of the scripts and send them around to the whole team. Usually, it’s just the four of us, but sometimes additional Scripps staff will weigh in. Then we organize the filming – approvals are easy because they’re on campus most of the time and our crew size is super small (2-3 people). We film each episode in less than a day and the short science explainers are sent off to an incredible animation studio called Roothouse. Lastly, the whole team weighs in on edits, and the final draft gets sent to the scientist to make sure we got the science right. We’re also very open to change and trying new things. For example, Jeff edited all the episodes of this most recent season.

Watch the latest episode of Wavelengths

It sounds like keeping a lean crew makes the process flow smoothly.

Definitely. During COVID, our crew for season two was especially small since we were limited by the number of people allowed inside labs and offices, so Jeff filmed all the episodes this time while I produced and hosted.

Keeping things light also allows us to have more fun and leeway with what we’re doing. Writing the script and then getting to have fun on set with the scientists are some of my favorite parts of the day. That and trying to make everyone laugh with terrible jokes!

These small, tight-knit, film crews seem to be the new normal. Where do you see the science filmmaking industry headed?

I think that’s one of the benefits of film technology becoming more accessible. More people can tell their own stories now. They can break the rules and the norms to tell more interesting stories. For too long we’ve put too much pressure on things to look a certain way – have a British narrator and keep this “professional” style that was defined a long time ago with outdated ideals. I want to see more variety on screen, more diverse voices getting a platform, and more new ways to tell a story. I think we’re moving in that direction.

It’s a really great time for storytellers entering this space. For those just starting out, I’d tell them that if you love something, do it. Whether it’s as a main gig or even just a side hustle, just waking up in the morning and making time for the writing, video, or art that you love goes a long way. It’s advice I was given, and advice that has made me happy. In my case, I started with small grants for equipment and support to make short videos and went from there. Start small and find out what you love. 

When she’s not going for long walks with her dog and out petting moss, you can follow along on Kate’s journey at her website (drkatefurby.com), Tiny Beaker (tinybeaker.com), and social media (@tinybeaker on Twitter, and Instagram). Be sure to check out her recent foray into audio storytelling as she and her friend create a tiny story about the moss in their neighborhood.