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A Bachelors of Science in Ecology from the University of Georgia is the foundation for Michelle Williams' passion for environmental and conservation documentary filmmaking. Michelle has been pursuing this passion since she created her first documentary in 2003 about the ecotourism industry in Costa Rica during a Tropical Ecology study abroad program at UGA.
Upon graduating from UGA, Michelle was selected as a summer intern at Discovery Communications where she worked in the Discovery Production Group. At the conclusion of the internship she accepted a full-time position with Discovery and served as a Production Coordinator and eventually an Assistant Network Manager for the Science Channel.
In 2005 Michelle was accepted as a Masters of Fine Arts candidate in the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at the School of Communication at American University. During her time at AU, Michelle established the student group Filmmakers for Social and Environmental Action in partnership with the Center for Environmental Filmmaking. Her two-part thesis documentary film focused on conservation issues in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.
Michelle left Discovery in 2006 for a position at VideoTakes, Inc., an award-winning media production company based in Arlington, VA. As an Associate Producer and eventually a Producer, Michelle wrote, directed and produced videos for a wide range of clients including award-winning pieces for the American Prairie Foundation and the Fund for Sustainable Tomorrows.
Michelle completed her M.F.A. in Film & Electronic Media with a concentration in Environmental Filmmaking from American University in August 2008. In January 2009 Michelle accepted a position as an Earth Science Producer for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. She looks forward to combining her background in ecology with the skills she has gained in the filmmaking industry to continue creating meaningful, effective and entertaining science-based media for video and web.