Maxine Davis

Who: Maxine Davis, documentarian. After working in TV news, film-location management, and information science, she launched Every Life Is a Story, a company that makes documentary-style movies to record family histories. She won the Best Exploration of an Intergenerational Legacy award in the Minnesota Historical Society competition and a Telly for her first short documentary, A Good Doctor, which was shown at the Mpls./St. Paul International Film Festival.

Action: “The Minnesota Historical Society held an open competition for a ten-minute documentary on the ‘Greatest Generation.’ I chose my mother’s doctor, Raymond Scallen. He’s a remarkable gentleman who saved my mother’s life. I asked him to do a video, but he declined. So I bought a bottle of Irish whiskey, knocked on his door, and asked, ‘Now will you do the movie?’ ”

Behind the Scenes: “It turned into a treasure trove when I started digging. His father’s hobby was photography, and there were thousands of gorgeous photos—he even shot film back in the 1930s!”

Backstory: “History is always important. It has a great value to me, and I think I’m not alone . . . . I have faith in history.”

Cast of Characters: “I always get attached! Sometimes initially I don’t know how we’re going to tell the story, but if you listen, there’s always something. People’s lives, no matter how small or grand, lived a life of humor, pain, hope, grief—a full life.”

Lights: “When I won the Minnesota Historical Society award, I was bewildered and very happy. I thought, ‘Maybe I can tell people’s stories.’ It made me sort of authentic.”

Camera: “I think I had my calling—my research background and intense interest in history makes a great visual story. I love to find pictures the family doesn’t even have or know exists. I got my master’s in information science and I love to do research.”

Tellyvision: “I sent A Good Doctor in to sort of see if it was up to the quality I wanted it to be. I won the bronze Telly, and now my goal, of course, is to get the gold!”

Happy Ending: “The Greatest Generation has a lot of meaning to people, and we are losing their stories. The baby boomers are suddenly seeing the importance of their elders or their own traditions. The triple generation thing is happening, and that won’t happen again for a while.”

To inquire about Every Life Is a Story, contact Davis at 612-871-5610 or tellyourhistory.com.