Editing + Performance Reel

A five-minute reel demonstrating Drake’s video/audio editing, videography, motion graphic animation, writing and performance.

Director, A Yogi’s Guide to Aging (2023)

This documentary short exploring the mental and emotional implications of aging was directed by Drake Wilson in the summer of 2023. The film was produced as part of his master’s thesis, for which he shot, narrated, and edited.

Abbreviated History: Roy Cohn

An explainer video exploring the enduring legacy of Roy Cohn.

Co-Director, Birdy’s World (2023)

This documentary short was co-directed by Drake Wilson, Leyi Huang and Cindy Wang in the spring of 2023. The film follows Birdy Gabkham, who came to Chicago from Thailand 25 years ago with dreams of being a fashion designer. But art school was out of reach. So, she taught herself to sew. To celebrate her 50th birthday, she designs her own line to unveil at a lavish fashion show. Will she be successful.

Co-Director, What Happened on First Street (2021)

The documentary, co-directed by Drake Wilson and Carolyn Yip, looks back at May 31, 2020, when hundreds of armed residents—including local Proud Boys—occupied Snohomish’s First Street in response to a false Antifa threat, heavily armed, and openly drinking alcohol. One such attendee, Daniel Lyons Scott attended the January 6 insurrection six months later for which he was charged with assault. Rather than dispersing the crowd, local law enforcement and city officials stood with the vigilantes. In the weeks that followed, young residents formed the group, Generation Justice (Gen J) through which they organized daily protests that drew crowds of up to 750 people to the small town.

The 70-minute film goes on to explore this community response, the experiences of Black and Brown residents leading up to May 31, and the path forward for Snohomish and the nation. The film was recognized by the National Education Association with the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Human and Civil Rights Award. It was also accepted into the 2022 Seattle Black Film Festival and received a Rick Steves’ Europe Fund Capacity Grant.

Broadcast Segment: Online Misinformation Jeopardizing Sun Safety

This news segment was written and produced by Drake Wilson for CAN TV in May 2023. The story covers online misinformation regarding sun safety.

The History of America's Highway Food Signs

I produced this video explainer using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects as part of my coursework for the Medill School of Journalism’s MSJ program.

Windy City Ghosts, pilot episode

I produced this podcast pilot with Adobe Audition as part of my coursework for the Medill School of Journalism’s MSJ program.

Marks of Joy

This short film was co-directed by Drake Wilson and Ryan Hayes-Owens in February 2023. The piece follows celebrity tattoo artist, Diego Staropoli. After losing his mother, aunt and grandmother to breast cancer, Staropoli began providing free tattoos to women who had mastectomies. What began as tattoos to replace scarred areolas has since expanded to help thousands of women embrace their scars from breast cancer treatment, domestic violence and burns. Romina Lopez is one of the women Staropoli helped by transforming her scars into marks of joy.

The Queer Agenda: A Great American Road Trip

A group of mothers and two of their queer adult children (Drake Wilson and Lily Stephens) road trip across America in two weeks, exploring what it means to be queer in different parts of the country and learning about the variety of regressive legislation making its way through state legislatures. The series examines the dramatic spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation being filed and passed across the United States while providing a glimpse at the many realities queer folks face.