Jess Wiegandt
Jess (she, her, hers) is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked on projects involving ecological conservation, endangered species awareness, and environmental justice. Utilizing her background in experiential education, she aims to engage new audiences to tell stories of impact that encourage others to explore the world around them. Her films often focus on the health of waterways, including the 2023 NATAS Capital EMMY-awarded film "A River Called Home," "Troubled Tributary: Maryland's Patuxent River," featured on PBS, and her recent feature debut, The Grand Salmon, a poignant story highlighting the plight of wild salmon populations in the Salmon, Snake, and Columbia Rivers.
As the daughter of two paddlesports instructors, she spent her childhood on rivers and developed a passion for the planet that drives her to seek out projects that will energize viewers to conserve our natural resources and wildlife. She has her Wilderness First Responder and brings extensive backcountry expedition knowledge to each project. Jess has her MFA in Film and Media Arts with a concentration in Environmental, Wildlife, and Social Impact Filmmaking from American University and is now a freelance cinematographer, producer, and editor.
Her CV and 2024 showreel are available upon request.