Michelle Lotker is a North Carolina-based documentary filmmaker and science communicator. She currently works as a producer for PBS North Carolina and has played a key role in producing two seasons of State of Change, a series focusing on climate change resiliency. Recently, Michelle has embarked on her on-camera presenting journey with Sci NC. Her filmmaking approach is people-centered, offering a unique glimpse into the lives of those she captures on film. During this interview, Michelle shares valuable insights on staying curious, cultivating connections and vulnerability.

Can you share your journey so far? What are some important lessons from your experience you’d like to share with aspiring creatives?

I’ve always been visually creative and took documentary photography courses while I was getting my degree in biology. I thought I would become a scientist and work towards having my own lab one day, but a career advisor suggested (bless them!) that I take a job as a scientist before continuing with a masters degree. While I was working as an environmental scientist, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happened. I felt drawn to go help tell the story of what was happening there. I didn’t end up there, but by reaching out to the documentary program I’d been a part of in college, I connected with another researcher who needed a documentarian on an environmental policy excursion. By the end of that trip, I’d decided to pivot into science communication and I started freelancing doing that.

It’s been an interesting path since then! I got deep into documentary work, often telling stories that had nothing to do with science, but that work gave me the foundation of my storytelling style today. Documentary storytelling is centered on the people you’re telling the story about, and by bringing that to my science communication, I realized I could create work that people who “don’t care” about science could still engage with and learn from.

There’s no one right path. What works for someone else might not work for you. There are so many roles within the creative world – try them all on for size and find the one that fits! The experience will be invaluable. 

Congratulations on winning an Emmy for your work on State of Change with PBS North Carolina! How does this achievement make you feel? What insights can you share about your involvement in this project?

Thank you! It’s very exciting to have work recognized outside of the environment you created it in. When you’re immersed in a project for so long, it’s easy to lose sight of its value. So to have my peers look at the work I’m doing and say, “Yes! This is good!”, really reinvigorates me to keep going.

The first season of State of Change was a team effort. There were several different producers working on individual stories and I was the lead producer coordinating all of the moving pieces. It was the first time I was managing assets from multiple different producers in addition to creating my own content/stories – and the first time working across departments at a big broadcast organization like PBS! It really opened my eyes to all of the behind-the-scenes work that takes stories from production to the public. 

I think I learned the most about the importance of pre-production during this project. My documentary background is cinema vérité based. It feels natural for me to watch and wait and see how things unfold. But that’s just not practical when four people are working on 10 stories and they all need to flow together into a seamless hour-long special. So I really learned a lot about the value of thinking everything through, from story ideas to social media campaigns, before you even get out into the field to start filming.

We were funded for a second season of State of Change that I produced all the stories for, so I immediately got to apply what I learned from the first season.

What tips do you have for building connections with people to help them feel comfortable and open enough to share their personal stories?

Being as real as possible helps me connect with the people I’m filming. It’s a vulnerable thing to be on camera, so bringing your own vulnerability to the table can help people relax and open up. Try to take your time and connect with someone before rushing into filming, if you can. If I have the luxury of having a camera operator with me and I’m only responsible for interviewing someone, I focus on connecting with the person so they forget the camera is even there.

If you’re working on a long-term project with someone, share cuts or scenes with them as you go. When I was in grad school, I worked on a story with farmers over the course of 6 months. When I showed them the finished project, they were (pleasantly) surprised about the quality of the work and how I’d told the story. I think if they had been more informed throughout the process, I would have gained their trust more and gotten more access, which only would have made the story better.

“Remember: you are the channel by which someone’s story is translated to the public. By being open and curious, you allow for the unexpected, and that’s where the magic happens.” 

Michelle Lotker
Documentary Storyteller

Also, share your work with your subjects before you publish! This might be seen as taboo in some places, but I think that’s antiquated baloney in science communication and most documentary work. If you’ve gained someone’s trust and you’re telling their story, they should see it before it’s live – especially if you’re communicating about their research. If you’ve done a good job of telling the story truthfully, you should have nothing to lose. I usually frame it as asking people to “fact check”, which I think helps avoid someone saying, “I don’t like how I look in that shot” or things like that. I’ve never regretted doing this and I like to think it’s slowly whittling away at the wall of mistrust between scientists and journalists.

You’re starting to explore the world of hosting with Sci NC. How has your experience been so far? Any tips on getting in front of the camera?

It’s been both nerve-wracking and fun! Switching from minimizing my voice to deliberately asking questions has been a fun challenge. It’s a great exercise in empathy and humility to be on the other side of the camera!

I’m new to this and am still learning a lot, but my main tips are:

• Watch a show with a host you like and pay attention to what they’re doing/how they host. What can you learn from them? Even including what they’re wearing!
• Just do it! Don’t wait until it feels perfect. The best way to learn what works and what doesn’t is to get in front of the camera and start doing it. If you don’t want to experiment on a major project, make some short simple videos with a friend to try things out.
• Build a crew of people that you trust and can openly communicate with, and have a separate field producer when possible. It’s a lot of work to be on camera hosting and also producing/directing. It’s great to work with DPs that can lift some of that weight.

Why is curiosity important? Do you have any tips for staying engaged in the learning process?

Staying curious to me is synonymous with remaining open and engaged, which is critical to telling stories that your audience can connect with. There’s nothing worse than a storyteller going into a situation thinking they know exactly what the story is and how everything is going to go. Remember: you are the channel by which someone’s story is translated to the public. By being open and curious, you allow for the unexpected, and that’s where the magic happens. 

As for tips, check in with yourself at regular intervals. Look at work you did a few months or years ago – you’ll see it with new eyes and realize you’re doing something powerful! Find people in the same field and phase of learning as you and get together to trade ideas and things you’ve learned. The work we do builds bridges between people and places and ideas. Don’t neglect to create those connections in your own life.

Any final thoughts or words of wisdom for our readers? 

Don’t beat yourself up because you don’t feel like you’ve “made it”. I’ve talked to some big names in the industry who still don’t feel like they’ve “made it”. Don’t wait for that feeling to start celebrating yourself and all of the awesome things you can do.

At PBS North Carolina, the slogan is “Follow your Curiosity”. To me, that means keep digging in, ask questions, be genuinely interested, and walk down the road that calls to you – you never know where it will take you!

🌲⛰🎻 You can follow Michelle’s creative work via her portfolio and on Instagram @sheli1014