WHY I’M LAUNCHING DOCUMENTARY COACHING

I've been teaching documentary filmmaking at Olympic College for years now, and it's some of the most rewarding work I do. There's something magical about watching a student grasp the fundamentals of story structure, or seeing their face light up when they nail their first interview.

But here's what I can't stop thinking about: I can only help the students who walk through my classroom door in Bremerton, Washington. What about the filmmaker in rural Wisconsin who's three years into a passion project and completely stuck? Or the journalist near Memphis who wants to make the leap into documentary but doesn't know where to start? What about the established filmmaker tackling their first international co-production, or the recent film school grad who got great theory but needs practical, project-specific guidance?

They don't need a semester-long course. They need someone who's been there to look at their specific situation and say, "Here's what I'd do."