Tess Gallun
An award-winning documentary veteran who owns Reel Life Films, Tess Gallun is passionate about creating socially relevant work and building loyal relationships among peers, story subjects, and the audiences she reaches. Her professional credits include documentaries for national PBS outlets, a thirteen part series for the Discovery Channel, and rich historical video projects for museums. The subjects she’s covered include war photography, community advocacy, wildlife conservation, gun violence, racism, and world religions.
Gallun has had the privilege to learn from the individuals who star in her videos and documentaries. Their voices inspire her interest in teaching others to find common ground and creative outlets to share their own important stories. An instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Gallun has built her academic career on bringing to light relevant social issues and placing the power of storytelling in the hands of conscientious and skilled students. Her greatest successes have been fostering relationships between students and the community, helping to raise support through social media assignments, and inspiring young journalists to make a difference in the world. Past student projects were aired on public television, supported by local nonprofits, and won top honors at professional and student film festivals.
Gallun’s awards include a Cine Golden Eagle, Bronze Telly, and Lente de Plata for production on the Mystic Lands series for The Discovery Channel, an Emmy for photography on the PBS Worth Fighting For Great Lakes documentary, and a Silver Houston Filmfest and Bronze Telly for the PBS special Through One Cities Eyes on race relations in Milwaukee. Her students have won the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association: News Series/Documentary First Place in 2008 and 2007, Northwest Broadcast News Association: Award of Merit in 2007, and Detroit Film Festival: First Place for Documentary in 2005.
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Gallun has had the privilege to learn from the individuals who star in her videos and documentaries. Their voices inspire her interest in teaching others to find common ground and creative outlets to share their own important stories. An instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Gallun has built her academic career on bringing to light relevant social issues and placing the power of storytelling in the hands of conscientious and skilled students. Her greatest successes have been fostering relationships between students and the community, helping to raise support through social media assignments, and inspiring young journalists to make a difference in the world. Past student projects were aired on public television, supported by local nonprofits, and won top honors at professional and student film festivals.
Gallun’s awards include a Cine Golden Eagle, Bronze Telly, and Lente de Plata for production on the Mystic Lands series for The Discovery Channel, an Emmy for photography on the PBS Worth Fighting For Great Lakes documentary, and a Silver Houston Filmfest and Bronze Telly for the PBS special Through One Cities Eyes on race relations in Milwaukee. Her students have won the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association: News Series/Documentary First Place in 2008 and 2007, Northwest Broadcast News Association: Award of Merit in 2007, and Detroit Film Festival: First Place for Documentary in 2005.
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