In an era of deepening political polarization, one filmmaker has found a unique way to bridge divides and foster understanding: through the power of storytelling. Having spent equal parts of his life in the liberal haven of San Francisco and the conservative heart of Colorado Springs, Tom Shepard has witnessed firsthand the importance of how Americans talk to each other, not just what they say.
Shepard’s journey began in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he enjoyed a successful 20-year career as a documentary filmmaker. However, as the country grew more polarized, he began to feel the echoes of an echo chamber in the city’s history as a safe harbor for immigrants and queer people. Seeking a change, he returned to his hometown of Colorado Springs ten years ago, where he found an unexpected opportunity to connect with his roots and make a difference.
From California to Colorado: a journey of discovery
Shepard’s move to Colorado Springs was initially motivated by a desire to care for his father, who was diagnosed with ALS. However, this temporary stay led to a permanent shift in his career and perspective. Inspired by the training academies he had seen on the east and west coasts, Shepard founded the Youth Documentary Academy, a tuition-free film academy for young people in the Pikes Peak region.
His father, a staunch Democrat and civil rights historian, had always championed living in southern Colorado. Shepard now understands that his father’s choice was not just about being an irritant to the establishment, but about embracing the American thing of living alongside people with differing social and political perspectives. This realization has shaped Shepard’s approach to his work and his community.
The power of storytelling: connecting diverse communities
Each summer, the Youth Documentary Academy brings together young people from diverse backgrounds to learn the art of documentary filmmaking. In this melting pot of perspectives, a daughter of a first-generation immigrant family sits next to a boy whose family has lived in the area since the 1920s. A trans student sits next to a student whose family are active leaders in the evangelical New Life Church. Black and other BIPOC students sit among white and Asian students, and neurodivergent students remind their peers of the different ways people learn.
What these diverse young Americans share is a lived access point to a story that matters and a desire to understand each other more deeply. Documentary filmmaking, with its focus on first-person storytelling, amplifies these impulses and forces participants to listen more carefully. These skills, fundamental to becoming a good documentary filmmaker, are also critical for a healthy democracy.
Our Time: broadcasting stories nationwide
Graduates of the Youth Documentary Academy now broadcast their films nationally on a public television series called Our Time. They regularly go into high schools and organize film festivals that open the door to courageous peer-to-peer conversations. In a time when attacks on public media are unprecedented, young people from the middle of the country are driving discourse across red and blue states alike, asking viewers across the nation to stop, listen, and be curious.
Breaking the cycle: listening with care and respect
As Americans face the upcoming midterm elections, Shepard urges his compatriots in blue strongholds to stop treating places like Colorado Springs as fly-over America. He argues that dismissing these communities is part of the problem and contributes to the current climate of polarization.
The more we engage and listen closely to our neighbors with curiosity, especially those very different from ourselves, the less dismissive we become. And the more we choose to listen with care and respect to the young people in our lives, the better our chances of finding common ground become. Shepard’s journey and the work of the Youth Documentary Academy serve as a powerful reminder of the potential for storytelling to bridge divides and foster understanding in an increasingly polarized world.
