KALEIGH ATKINSON

 

The filmmaker and photographer began her professional career working in the field of documentary film. Driven to create beautiful, moving imagery with a deeper meaning to help the community is how she thrives. Her work has comprised as a still photographer, associate producer and additional camera for pieces made for PBS, Independent Lens, local television, and media online. Collaborating on projects such as As Goes Janesville (a feature documentary) and Wisconsin Foodie (a show on local television), which were both nominated for Emmy's.

 

More recently a music video for punk metal band, Enabler, premiered on Metal Injection directed, shot and edited by the artist. Currently in production is a feature documentary exploring the idea of body image and eating disorders through the lens of social media and her own personal life with disordered eating and depression.

 

Freelance Artist 2010 - present

 

Photographer, Filmmaker

 

Virtual Assistant 2014 - present

 

Abundelicious, holistic nutritionist, Milwaukee, WI

Headshots, Food Styling, Graphic Design, Web Design, Rebranding, Social Media

 

Koha Yoga + Abundelicious, acro yoga/nutritionist, Punta Uva, Costa Rica

Documentary Portraits, Graphic Design, Social Media

 

Ashtanga Yoga Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

Documentary Portraits, Social Media

 

East Side Pilates, Milwaukee, WI

Documentary Portraits, Graphic Design, Social Media

 

Swami's Yoga Retreat, Sydney, Australia

Documentary Photography, Rebranding, Social Media

 

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee 2013-2014

 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - AmeriCorps Art Teacher, Yoga Instructor

 

Arts Advocate for JMACC was an incredible experience. Here I organized fine art classes but focused more on human expression. We'd create everything from paintings and drawings to learning yoga and mindfulness and took this work further by learning about nutrition and did cooking classes.

 

On Student World Volunteer Day we revamped the high school's huge (unused) courtyard into victory gardens where we grew pounds and pounds of organic vegetables to use in our course. We planted seedlings using garbage collected around school (plastic containers, cups, lunch time scraps, etc) that literally gifted us fruits of our labor.

 

Volunteer at Golda Meir School 2011

 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Volunteer Art Teacher year 4 & 5

 

With budget cuts the students no longer had any classes outside the basics: math, science, history, etc. I collaborated with another artist to create expressive and fun projects to break the classroom mold. We built cardboard cities, painted and interpreted students' Rorschach inkblots, and so much more.

 

371 Productions 2008-2011

 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Documentary Filmmaking Production Coordinator

 

Creating independent documentaries from start to finish with a small group of filmmakers. Kaleigh began as an intern in 2009 and grew to Production Coordinator in 1 year. Forming ideas for future projects while simultaneously organizing equipment, footage and producing shoots for current projects while also recording sound and shooting additional camera was a regular day at 371. This was a fast paced environment that was exciting and extremely helpful in forming my relationship with documentary film.

 

‘Once You’re Dead’ a film in production by 371 Productions - 2011

Lead Researcher and Associate Producer

 

‘Wisconsin Foodie’, an Emmy Nominated Television Show - 2012

Additional Camera and Sound

 

‘As Goes Janesville’ a film by Brad Lichtenstein - 2012

Associate Producer, Still Photographer, Sound, Additional Camera

 

‘Penelope’ a film by Brad Lichtenstein - 2013

Associate Producer, Additional Camera, Sound

 

 

EDUCATION

 

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee - 2007-2010 - BFA in film & photography

Columbia College Chicago, film directing major, fall of ‘06