What’s a year if it’s not full of changes? 2009 held some particularly big changes for me, most significantly my largely accidental decision to make a film, Shine: The Entrepreneur’s Journey. The film grew out of an event Biznik hosted in May, which was designed to help entrepreneurs create video profiles. Trouble is, nobody was signing up to attend the event. I was brushing my teeth one morning and had the idea: why not tell people we’re making a film, and the best stories will be included? 500 people showed up. So, we actually had to make a film. I ended up falling in love with the process of research, discovery, conversation, techno-geekery and collaborative magic that is documentary filmmaking.

So in August, I handed the reigns of Biznik to our hugely capable cofounder Lara Feltin, and chose to dedicate myself to documentary filmmaking full time. It’s a bit of a scary move, as career changes tend to be, but I know it’s the right one for me. And it’s a homecoming of sorts, signaling a return to my roots as a journalist, but with the freedom to strongly express a point of view that is all my own.

I’m creating this blog to share my personal journey into the fast-changing world of documentary filmmaking. In it, I’ll share the latest tools, techniques and resources for powerful visual storytelling, and spotlight the extraordinary work of other documentary filmmakers who are dedicated to doing meaningful work. And of course, use it to promote my own work with behind-the-scenes looks at work in progress.

A good blog, like a good business, should have a concise mission statement. Here’s mine:

To promote myself and all filmmakers dedicated to producing rigorous, inventive documentary films that matter.