Michael Trownsell
With a passion for history reminiscent of documentary filmmakers such as Ken Burns, 14-year-old Michael Trownsell has traveled across the state with his camcorder to bring Virginia stories to life in documentaries he hopes will “entertain, intrigue, educate and create dialogue.”
An eighth grader at The New Community School, Trownsell recently launched a history series on his YouTube channel, TS Productions. “I want to spark the audience’s interest and maybe inspire them to dig further and get to know the topic better,” he says of his historical videos, which he researches, writes, produces, films and edits by himself.
For his “Communities Along the James” series, Trownsell traveled hundreds of miles, capturing an array of stories and scenes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to communities such as Smithfield. “In this film we’re going to follow America’s founding river, the James, from its mountainous headwaters to its mighty mouth, telling the tales that have happened on its banks across centuries,” he narrates in the series’ introduction.
Other Trownsell productions include videos on Nathaniel Bacon, Colonial Williamsburg, Thomas Jefferson at Tuckahoe Plantation and Gilded Age Maymont. He says he selects subjects based on what piques his interest during his reading and research, along with topics that may also interest his audience.
His father, Dave Trownsell, is founder and president of Tilt Creative + Production, and his mother, Kim Alley, owns Kim Alley Models. Both parents encourage their son.
“We first noticed his interest in history at or around 8 years old after a visit to historic Jamestown,” Alley recalls. “He became increasingly fascinated with Virginia history, in which he wanted to travel to as many historic sites as possible. Reading followed, along with a desire to watch any type of history documentary on television.”
When Trownsell wanted to take that a step further by making his own documentaries, he was inspired by his father. “I’ve watched him on shoots, and it’s really fascinating,” he says. “He taught me all I know now, and I’ve learned along the way as well,” he adds, pointing out that his father especially taught him “the joy of it — in the whole world of filming things.”
Because he is too young to drive, his father drives him to locations on the weekends, but the younger Trownsell is in charge of doing all the work for the documentaries. He estimates it takes him about two days to produce an episode. “One of my favorite parts is the filming,” he says, but “I also like the editing.” He also enjoys interviewing experts. “Research involves talking to people, interviewing people on and off camera,” he says. “People are really the best part of the industry.”
“We’ve gotten to know each other better,” Dave says of his travels with his son. “We’ve gotten into a lot of professional discussions about creativity. … I’m proud of him; he marches to his own tune and does his own thing. I hope he continues to make content that is meaningful and can inspire people, teach people, educate people and move people to look at the world maybe a little bit differently.”
For “Who Was Sir Archie,” in which he shares the story behind the “foundation sire” of American thoroughbreds, Trownsell interviewed Goochland County Historical Society Executive Director James Richmond.
“The fact that he cared enough, not only to study the history of Sir Archie but to make an actual documentary about his search, was overwhelming,” Richmond says. “We do love inquisitive minds in the history field.”
Noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has also expressed appreciation for Trownsell’s interest in history. “I see history as a place for all of us to gather to have conversations about what came before us,” he says. “You cannot understand the present without trying to understand the past. I find tremendous solace in the fact that young people are driving much of the positive change we see today — and am, of course, especially thrilled to watch them engage deeply with our country’s history.”
Trownsell at work editing a new video
Trownsell aspires to someday follow in Burns’ footsteps and have a PBS show featuring his documentaries, but for now his goal is to educate people and preserve the interesting stories of times past. “We can learn a lot from history,” he says. “I am optimistic about what the future holds.”
“In a time when history is disappearing from our schools, it is heartening to see young people take responsibility for their own understanding,” says historian Edward Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright professor of the humanities and president emeritus of the University of Richmond. “The availability of new media empowers students to become historians themselves, and Michael’s work shows the possibilities of such power.”
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