At one such party, I met a really nice couple that live here in High Point, Amanda and Jeff. It was one of those meetings where you have a great conversation about random things, you exchange cards or emails with the promise that "Yeah, sure, we'll meet up for coffee sometime, let's do it!" How often has that happened to you and then you actually never see the people again until the next holiday party?
I didn't want that to happen with this particular case, so yesterday, I met up with Jeff for lunch.
Jeff
Jeff is from Michigan, but was drawn to North Carolina for the warmer weather and attended Davidson. He studied psychology there, but was more focused on animal cognition than on working with humans (more on that love of animals later). He's done graduate work at both UNC and Duke, but he's chosen the right side and classifies himself as a Tar Heel.
His career after college started in sustainability, be it economic, environmental, or social. He then moved on to working with his alma mater, Davidson, working with students. He enjoyed what he was doing, but eventually he became sick of being in offices and cubicles. As someone who loved the environment and the outdoors, being cooped up inside was stifling.
For many people, this would be the end of the story. Yes, you might hate your job, but everybody does, right? It might not be what you love to do, but it's a paycheck, right?
Jeff didn't see it that way. While he had been working at Davidson, he started projects on the side that showcased his desire to talk about things that weren't being discussed. He made a short film about the North Atlantic right whale that received accolades and was screened at several film festivals.
That short film got him thinking about doing more with this kind of work. He started pulling together his journalism background from UNC, and his business background at his other universities, to create a business plan. What came out of that was WildSides, a documentary and educational multimedia platform to discuss the issues of human/wildlife conflict. If you go to www.wildsides.org, you can see more about what Jeff has been working on, including a new podcast that he's created.
Jeff: I love podcasts. I think Serial was one of my recent favorites, at least the first season. I can't take credit for this, because a friend brought it up, but what made that one so interesting was that it's a question we could all face. I'm not talking about the murder, of course. I mean, how do you remember a few moments or a few hours years after they happened?
Jeff had been working on other projects as he was filming the right whale film, and one of them was the struggles surrounding the red wolf, a critically endangered species found in Western North Carolina. A biologist studying them, Chris Lucash, became Jeff's point of contact as he began his research. What began as an idea for a short film about these wolves evolved when Chris got some devastating news. He was diagnosed with ALS, and he didn't have that much time left.
Jeff: So he asked me to come help tell this story. And I thought, this must be some kind of sign to stop doing this on the side and start doing this for real.
With that, Jeff quit his job and devoted himself to make WildSides a reality full time. He started work on his film, Staring Down Fate, which not only tracks how humans are encroaching on the habitat for the wolves, but also Chris' battle with ALS in the midst of trying to protect these animals.
Jeff: Chris was interested in seeing how the pesticides and fertilizers and pollution that we put into the wild not only impacts animals like the red wolf, but also how those same things have been linked to ALS in various research project.
Sadly, Chris Lucash passed away last year, before he was able to see the final project. Jeff hopes to be able to complete a rough cut of the documentary soon and submit it to festivals starting this spring.
Jeff: I'm applying for grants now to help fund the project. Chris' life is a really amazing story, and I'm happy to be so close to finishing it.
What's your favorite joke?
Jeff: I'm not really a joke person. I spend my life cracking jokes, but not telling them. However, I do love comedy, and there's a Normism (from Cheers), that I always think about whenever I get denied for a grant or an editing session runs long.
Norm comes into the bar, and another customer asks how he's doing. And Norm says, "It's a dog eat dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear."
If you could bring back one musician, who would it be?
Jeff: I'm going to have to go with Bob Marley. Not just for his music, but for how he took a stand for things. His leadership and social consciousness, he fought for things but always looked for peace. That sense of love, that's something we could all see more of now.
What's the most significant thing that happened in 2016?
Jeff: I married the love of my life, who could ask for anything more than that.
Lars: I think that is a completely valid answer, but it's been interesting to see how people have answered that one. Some have said "TRUMP!" and gone off on that. But others, the biggest thing that happened to them was that they got engaged or started a family or had other big life events. And somehow those things blocked out all the other stuff.
Jeff: Absolutely. It's amazing how that can color your entire year. It's not that the national stuff becomes less important. It's just that the bumpers come up on life and it makes things easier to deal with. The lows (and the highs) are easier to manage.
Will the world be better in 20 years?
Jeff: Yes for somebody. I don't know how to answer that really. I want to believe they will, but so much of it depends on who you are.
I just hope by that point will be able to make use of this global transparency that we have now. We have so much information at hand, we have to be able to use it better. I think if we can continue to have a better understanding and more of an acceptance of different viewpoints, we will all be in a better place.
As much as I'm anxious to see what will happen over the next four years and how I'm disappointed by it, I sometimes think maybe this anger needed to happen. It needed to bubble up and get out in the open so we can all evaluate it and react to it. We can look at it and say "Is this really who we want to be?"
I'm always in awe of people that can do what Jeff has done. I like to think of myself as creative person, but I'd never have the stones to cut away from a stable job and strike out on that kind of project. It's important to have people like Jeff who can make that leap, as terrifying as it may be, because that's how stories like Chris Lucash's get told. That's how we learn more about the plight of the red wolf or the North Atlantic right whale, and how we start having a dialogue about how what we do impacts life on this planet beyond our own.
Jeff was an incredibly thoughtful guy, and I hated that I had to cut our lunch short (I'm still in those offices that he referred to). I've looked into his project, WildSides, and it really is fascinating. I can't wait to see the finished version of Staring Down Fate, because it looks like a story that needed to be told. Please go check it out to learn more and to see what you can do to support it!
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