Selected Work
Photo: Steve Jessmore
Destination Michigan
I began working on WCMU Public Media’s Destination Michigan in 2011 as a videographer and editor, traveling across the state to tell stories about the people, places and communities that make Michigan unique. In 2016, I became a producer on the series, and in 2017 I was promoted to host while also serving as its primary segment producer, videographer, editor and motion graphics creator.
Over the years, Destination Michigan became one of the defining projects of my career. I played a central role in shaping the look, voice and storytelling style of the program, both in front of the camera and behind it. During my time as host and producer, the series was named Best Magazine Program at the Michigan Regional Emmy Awards five consecutive years.
Hemingway in Michigan
Created in partnership with Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library, Hemingway in Michigan is a three-part short documentary series exploring Ernest Hemingway’s formative years in Northern Michigan and the influence those experiences would have on his life and writing. The series was produced in 2021 to complement the PBS premiere of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s Hemingway.
I developed and produced the series from start to finish, handling research, writing, interviews, videography, editing and motion graphics. Working closely with the Clarke Historical Library and its historical collections, I shaped the project into a concise visual story connecting Hemingway’s early experiences in Michigan with the writer he would later become.
Beaver Island, Michigan - 2018
Linking Land and Lakes
Linking Land and Lakes is an hour-long PBS documentary exploring the work of the Institute for Great Lakes Research and its efforts to understand and preserve coastal wetlands throughout the Great Lakes basin. Released in 2019, the production took our team to locations across the region to document these ecosystems and the researchers working to protect them.
I served as one of the documentary’s videographers and handled the full edit and motion graphics for the finished program. My photography on the project was recognized with a regional Emmy Award, making Linking Land and Lakes one of the highlights of my documentary work with WCMU Public Media.
More from over the years …
A guide to the most popular card game in Michigan. This piece earned me a Michigan Regional Emmy Award for “Video Journalist”
A segments for Destination Michigan about the building and launching of a brand-new Mackinac Island Ferry.
A teaser for the PBS documentary "The Island: Mackinac in Seasons” that I personally filmed and edited. The finished program earned my my first Emmy nomination.
An emotive collection of footage set to music that explores the sights and sounds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
An upbeat music video with footage captured during a hike in Northern Michigan’s Nordhouse Dunes.
An interview with USMC Veteran Mick Schloff for the series “The Vietnam Letters Home Project” that was presented by WCMU Public Media. One of my most personally rewarding projects I was able to be involved with.
A video series collaboration with the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University. All segments produced, filmed and edited by Matthew Ozanich.