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Biography
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My ProfileJenn MolinaChicagoProducer, DirectorSupplementary InformationTitle/Occupation: ProducerServices Provided: Film/Video EditingGender: FemaleCitizenship: USLanguages Spoken: English, ItalianBiography:Dear This American Life,
I am an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who, for the past decade, has produced web, radio pod casts and television documentaries for Newsweek, the United Nations and the Sundance Channel. Most recently, I spent four years as a senior video producer for Newsweek, where I conceived of, shot, produced and edited short video documentaries and multipart series on social issues, culture and national affairs—before Newsweek shuttered its documentary program. I spent a week under a Florida bridge talking to the sex offenders who lived there, and time in Compton, Calif., telling the story of how this once-notorious community, known for gangs and guns, was working to reshape its image. I won a 2009 GLAAD award for a three-part series on the post-Proposition 8 bh, and the rise of a new generation of gay activists, and a Deadline Club award for a piece on an American soldier who died in Iraq.
Storytelling has always been an essential part of my craft. From following a family of polyamorists (people in multipartner relationships) in their daily lives to documenting the challenges faced by the gay and aging, a decade of producing documentary films has taught me that voice, and place, and tenor, and tone, are all key components to a compelling tale. What I strive to get out of storytelling is the ability to connect my listeners to my subjects—whether it’s through empathy or disdain. To do that, it takes time, and rapport, and each one of my films has been built on personal connections I forged with subjects, over time.
My skills are versatile. At the United Nations, where I worked for a UNESCO based agency out of Italy for nearly five years, I shot promotional shorts from around the world, telling stories of heartache and triumph that ranged from women involved in their own microfinance and empowerment in Bangladesh, to preserving sites of tragedy and memory in Ghana, West Africa. In 2002, I was a field producer on a Sundance feature that followed the documentarian who captured footage of a man brutally run over by police during the 2001 G8 riots in Genoa. And after years of working for a website, I have learned to every aspect of the trade, with quickness and speed. I have the ability to turn around quick hits, for instance turning around campaign trail stories on the road within an hour, but I also yearn to spend time with my subjects, getting to know them, looking deeper into their stories, and earning their trust enough that they will open up. In 2007, I was nominated for an Emmy for a short documentary I produced called “Voices of the Fallen,” in which I used an audio taped “letter” that an Iraqi soldier, killed in 2005 had sent to his family to tell his harrowing tale. This man’s poignant and moving narrative of a day in the life in Iraq described warding off “bad guys,” visiting orphanages and connecting with Iraqi children by sharing photos of his own children. By weaving in personal photos and footage of American soldiers, we combined singular audio with film in an attempt to capture just how haunting the loss of life can be to a young family. The response was overwhelming, I received tearful phone calls, heartfelt emails and letters letting me know the piece was their story, they related, whether in the armed forces or not, and they were moved.
© 2013 International Documentary Association. All Rights Reserved.
