Meet the Untold Experts

At Makematic, we are currently in-development of exciting, new U.S. history videos for the Untold collection. We are striving for the utmost in historical accuracy while making sure the videos are altogether fun to watch! We have numerous experts from across America who contribute immensely to each Untold video, who we'd love to showcase in this blog.

How have you contributed to the making of Untold videos?

As an SME on the Untold project, I review the script content and educational videos. I also create discussion guides and educational content to align to the videos.

What has been your favourite video of the Untold series to work on & why?

What I have enjoyed most about this project is being a part of developing educational content that not only brings history to life for high school students, but tells the story of the forgotten and gives voice to an under-represented and silenced segment of Americans throughout history.

How have you contributed to the making of Untold videos?

I have reviewed scripts, I've suggested topics, now I'm working on discussion guides but some of the most fun I had was doing student product analysis. I was able to watch how students responded to videos and listen to what they thought would be an excellent video.

What has been your favourite video of the Untold series to work on & why?

I'm not sure I have a favorite because each time I see one I say it is my favorite. I love learning about influential women in history like Jovita Idar and having interesting topics explained in an easy format such as the Electoral College. Recently, I pondered over the Hamilton's Writing Desk video and just couldn't get over how much of our history was written on that desk. In addition, how many famous historical figures probably were in the room with it and maybe even Washington asked Hamilton to borrow a piece of paper-amazing!

How have you contributed to the making of Untold videos?

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing and editing scripts for short films. I’ve also suggested what support materials educators and other adults who support youth need in this new era of online learning.

What has been your favourite video of the Untold series to work on & why?

All of the videos have been entertaining and informative. Two that were favorites so far have been The Salem Witch Trials and the American Cookery Cookbook. These videos highlight details that will make history come alive for viewers. For example, it’s intriguing to consider how recipes in a cookbook, written in 1796 and that stayed in print for 30 years, recorded the first known recipe for Turkey with cranberries and pumpkin pie. It also introduced Native American ingredients, like maize, into traditional European cooking methods. Viewers can imagine what it might have been like to prepare a meal and gather around the table and eat Turtle Stew, Beef’s Tongue Pie, or Calve’s Head Pie. Most intriguing are discussion questions that consider how a simple, inexpensive cookbook, that was written for women cooks during a time of war, had the power to influence people’s sense of national identity and also be recognized as a political statement?

How have you contributed to the making of Untold videos?

I started doing research for Makematic's Untold series over the summer. My job is to complete background research on video topics and compile my findings and resources into a "cheat sheet" that the producers can use to write a script. I've mainly contributed to Artifacts that Made America, but I've also worked on Things You Didn't Know, America Explained, and The Arts. So far I've contributed to over a dozen videos!

What has been your favourite video of the Untold series to work on & why?

Being in the museum education field, I'm a huge fan of artifacts, so I really enjoyed working on the Artifacts that Made America series. My personal favorite was probably "The Turtle Submersible" - even the title is entertaining, and the story behind it even more so!

How have you contributed to the making of Untold videos?

I'm a researcher for the Untold series. I find facts, angles, questions to explore, narratives, and stories for Untold!

What has been your favourite video of the Untold series to work on & why?

My favorite video to work on so far was 'The Golden Age of Illustration'! Between 1880 and 1920, advancements in printing processes allowed artists to do more with different color tones. Artists like Jessie Wilcox Smith and Violet Oakley used their illustrations to illuminate something deeper about American life, and what it meant to be a kid, or to be a woman at the turn of the century.

As our resident 18th - 20th century expert, Darrell consulted on videos like: Civil War Prosthetics, The Birth of Photojournalism, Profile of a Leader 0 Ulysses S Grant and Newton Knight

We wish we could showcase all the experts who have worked across the Untold series, however, the blog itself would need its own series! Special thank you to all our Experts for taking time out of their busy schedules to talk to us. Want to watch their films? You can check them out at Untoldhistory.org.