PHS grad documents flight, plight of immigrants

Nate Hulings

of the Gateway

When Andriana Fletcher graduated from Peninsula High School in 2007, she never imagined only a few years later she’d be driving across Canada as a co-producer with an Emmy Award-winning documentary team.

Fletcher, 20, is a member of MediaLab, Pacific Lutheran University’s Communication department internship program, and is the co-producer of “Point of Entry: Migrating to North America,” which will premiere at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma.

Since its 2006 establishment, MediaLab students have filmed and produced three other documentaries, including “Illicit Exchanges: Canada, the U.S. and Crime,” which captured the 2009 College Division Emmy Award.

While Canada and the United States have a lot in common, “Point of Entry” compares and contrasts the unique stories of each country’s immigrant population. For the project, Fletcher served as the lead videographer and editor.

When Robert Wells, MediaLab faculty adviser and PLU assistant professor of communication, asked Fletcher to join the documentary team, the topic of immigration was first on her list.

“I’ve always been interested in looking at cultures,” Fletcher said.

For Wells, a Gig Harbor resident, long-range documentary projects act as a multifaceted teaching tool.

“I think from an academic standpoint you want to try to introduce them to research in depth and breadth,” Wells said. “Also the opportunity to just travel and experience different things and different places.”

As the “proud father” of the project, Wells said he was impressed with the quality of work Fletcher and the rest of the team produced.

Fletcher, a junior at PLU, is the direct result of immigration. Her mother moved to the United States from Croatia in the early 1960s.

Since early this year, Fletcher and the rest of the team have traveled 15,000 miles and captured more than 35 hours of raw video ­that needed to be watched and edited into a finished product.

The team’s longest and most ambitious trip was an 18-hour car ride to Fort McMurray, Alberta, a community known for its multicultural population.

“It was a really long car ride,” Fletcher said. “I fell asleep most of the time.”

When they arrived, Fletcher and Kaelan Knutson-Lombardo, the documentary’s other producer, interviewed 12 immigrants in four hours.

Fletcher interviewed immigrants from a variety of cultures, including Somalia, Sudan, Germany, Afghanistan and India. She said the work also was self-serving.

“I really wanted to learn and hear people’s stories,” she said.

Documentary work was an acquired taste for Fletcher, who arrived at PLU with no media experience but found herself working for the student television station, KCNS. By the following school year, she was the station’s news producer.

After her most recent internship at KBTC and gaining documentary experience with the latest MediaLab film, Fletcher began to change her focus.

“As a videographer in a news piece, you have one minute and 30 seconds,” Fletcher said. “In a documentary, it’s more elaborate, and you can go into more detail.

“I wasn’t sure if I would like documentary work at first,” she added. “I like it way better now.”

Fletcher also filmed for The News Tribune’s Web site, the Tacoma Art Museum and TVW. Her work was recognized in 2009 when she was awarded a scholarship from the Northwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

And although the thought of traversing across Canada to shoot video may have seemed foreign two years ago, Fletcher’s passion and work is now something more native.

“I got to test my limits and be creative and see how I want to present someone’s story,” Fletcher said. “When I look back, right now I’m glad it’s over. I’ll be more appreciative later on.”

Point of Entry

Interested in catching the premiere of Pacific Lutheran University’s “Point of Entry?” Here’s how:

What: Premiere of “Point of Entry: Migrating to North America”

Where: Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma

When: Oct. 17, 2 p.m.

Cost: Free

After the premiere, there will be a panel discussion about immigration issues.

Reach Reporter Nate Hulings at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at nate.hulings@gateline.com.