Bio for Pam Colby
Pam Colby has worked in television and film for over thirty years, recently producing and directing a feature length documentary that explores the impact of marriage equality legislation on artists, activists and politicians. www.NotinMyLifetime.info. Her credits include narrative and documentary work: Writer/Director, Freedom’s Price (1984); Writer/Director, Speak Truth to Power, A Portrait of Polly Mann (1994); Producer, The Unapologetic Life of Margaret Randall (2002); Producer, Wellstone! (2004); Producer/Director, Fertile Ashes (2011); Producer/Director, Secrets for Mom (2013) Editor/Assistant Director, Angels Alleluia (2014) Director, Carl Eller; The Hunt for Self Expression (2017). Pam’s love of storytelling led her to the Moth Storytelling Competition where her GrandSlam winning story was featured on National Public Radio. Pam works as a freelance producer, director and teaches Cinema and Documentary classes at Film North. More about Pam at www.pamcolby.com.
My story
I have a degree from the University of Iowa in Communications, with an emphases in film and television production. That was back in the early 1980's. I was the first student to graduate from the film program with my final project shot/mastered in 3/4 inch video rather than 16 mm film. The project aired on Iowa Public Televison.
After college I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I worked for a year as a video specialist in the Bloomington Public Schools. I then became a mobile truck operator working for the Minneapolis Television Network (MTN). The truck was a roving television studio capable of live cablecasts on the local cable network. It was heady times and cable was king. We experimented a lot with interactivity. In 1994 MTN became an Internet node providing dial-up internet access. Members had to call in to the MTN portal from a landline connected to their computer, only 25 people could be online at one time. MTN also hosted Web sites and provided email accounts.
I have good people skills and understand finances, which led me to the job of Executive Director at (MTN). I also have leadership skills and during my years at MTN I served on two national boards related to media, the Alliance for Community Television (ACM) & the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC), two years as President of NAMAC Board.
I was honored that my MTN co-workers made this tribute video on the occasion of my departure. Tribute Video.
In 2012 I began working freelance and focussing on my own creative projects.