Ken Burns UNUM

Ken Burns UNUM is a project which draws from Ken’s filmography to provide historical context for the present. 

We make short videos featuring Ken (and others) that have appeared  in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, People.com, and CBS Sunday Morning. We also curate playlists using scenes from Ken’s films to trace themes that run throughout history into the present. 

I currently work on a small team (with the best around!) as an associate digital producer for UNUM full-time. We’re led by Don MacKinnon, one of the minds behind Product (RED) and the CEO of Hark Audio.

I began working on UNUM in 2019, not long after graduating from college. Since then, I’ve pitched and developed original content ideas, edited videos, (associate!) produced live film shoots, and implemented content updates on both UNUM and KenBurns.com. I also work with our developer team to make sure UNUM’s running at peak performance.

In 2021, I had the honor of joining Ken and his daughter Sarah Burns on a virtual panel at Yale moderated by filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris to talk about UNUM. 

On UNUM, we’ve featured leading voices like David Axelrod, Kara Swisher, Eddie Glaude, Andy Slavitt, (thee!) Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, Imani Perry, Heather Cox Richardson, and many more. 

We’re also an educational resource, collaborating with our partner National History Day to support hundreds of thousands of students and teachers participating in NHD’s annual research competition.

View UNUM here.