Meet Kyndall Hubbard, Mizzou alum, filmmaker, and YMG’s new Editorial Assistant!
By Hermes Falcon
Youthcast Media Group®
Kyndall Hubbard, 23, joined the Youthcast Media Group team at the end of February as our Editorial Assistant, reporting to Brie Zeltner on the Content & Programs team. A recent grad of the journalism program at University of Missouri (Mizzou) with an emphasis on documentary filmmaking and a double minor in Spanish and Black Studies, she will be writing stories, shooting video and helping work with our high school student writers.
Kyndall (pronounced Ken-dall), spoke with YMG Intern Hermes Falcon about her interests and background as well as her hopes and plans for the future. Their conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
How did you hear about YMG and what convinced you to join the team?
I interned briefly in high school with Studio Gannett, USA TODAY’s premium publication division. Jeanette Barrett-Stokes, Studio Gannett’s director and managing editor, knew I graduated from college last spring. She passed my resume to Jayne, who reached out to me about the job at YMG.
I could tell that the people I met in the organization were genuinely interested in having me on the team. It definitely felt a bit more personal than other alternatives, and the mission of YMG is also something I’m definitely on board with.
What sparked your interest in documentaries?
Freshman year, we got an introduction to all the emphases in the journalism major. They showed an ad [of the documentary emphasis], and it seemed so cool and cinematic. It showed clips from documentaries professors on campus made and it looked so cool, almost like an action film. It was a lot newer and a bit different than other journalism programs.
Are there any film projects you’re especially proud of?
My capstone, a short documentary film called “The Best Part.” We had a film festival called “Stronger Than Fiction'' for all the seniors in the program with judges within the industry to judge our films. I was awarded Best Director and my film was displayed in the Museum of Moving Image in New York just this month!
It was a personal project and meant a lot to me – It was about my family, and I appreciated how it struck a chord with people and how people really liked it.
“The Best Part” is essentially about me and my dad trying to figure out more about my grandmother’s early life, and her childhood in specific. There’s a point in time where you hit a wall with my family history because of slavery. It’s hard to find that history. My dad did a video interview with her, and he was asking details about her life. The documentary is centered around that interview, and some of the things she said in the interview and things left unsaid. Things she hinted at, and things we knew we would never find out about.
Do you have any plans for future projects?
I would like to see what I can do with video, and incorporate my background with long-form documentary because I do feel like it’s gaining some traction. Even though we talk about social media and TikTok that has shorter videos, there is a call for longer videos on specific topics.
What do you do for fun?
I really like to read. What’s more accurate is that I like to collect books. Working at Barnes and Noble has exposed me to different genres. My favorite genres are fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, fiction, historical fiction, and maybe some romance. It’s something I’ve liked ever since I was a kid. One of my favorite series of all time is Legend-Born.
I like to write, as well. I used to be really into creative writing, but I don’t do that as much anymore. I’m in the process of making a blog to do with anything I want – things I see on social media, aspects of pop culture, media, TV – and analyzing that through the lens of race and gender. I am very passionate about social issues, about addressing them, and about examining society and talking about racism and homophobia.
What’s something surprising about you?
In college, I was a pilates instructor for three years. I have a second degree black belt in martial arts, tae-kwon-do. It’s way in the past, but it’s funny how it comes up in conversation. It wasn’t a huge passion but mine, but it’s something I did, and I loved to compete.
Anything else people should know about you?
I have a twin, Kaycee, and a dog named Zeus!