June 12, 2020

In this episode, I speak with the mixed race & Choctaw/Seminole co-founder of Longhouse Media, Tracy Rector about her filmmaking, her new gig with Nia Tero and, her mentoring of the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab. With everything that she does, like Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston, Tracy’s informal mantra should be “I’m Every Woman.” I spoke with her at the 2020 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

Photo Credit: Petter Cohen

[Image Description: A black and white photo of Tracy Rector. Her head is turned slightly to the left and her hands are in her pockets. She wears a dark-colored coat and dress. The background is made up of gauzy materials of varying textures.]

Photo Credit: Nia Tero Foundation

[ Image Description. An Indigenous man stands in a verdant rain forest. Above him is the following text: 89% in a circle and “Indigenous people comprise less than 6% of the Earth’s population yet they maintain 80% of the planet’s biodiversity.” Beneath him in a green banner is the text, “Let’s honor them.”]

Tracy’s Bio

Tracy Rector, Managing Director of Storytelling at Nia Tero Foundation, has a passion for amplifying and empowering Indigenous voices. She brings two decades of experience as a community organizer, educator, filmmaker, film programmer, and art curator, all infused with her deep roots in plant medicine. For the last 18 years, she has directed and produced over 400 films including shorts, features, music videos, and virtual reality projects. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, at the Seattle Art Museum, the National Geographic Channel, and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, as well as at international film festivals including Cannes and Toronto. Tracy is in her second term as a Seattle Arts Commissioner, sits on the board of the Mize Family Foundation, and is the co-founder of Longhouse Media.

WUwD Episode 1 - Tracy Rector Transcript

About Nia Tero

Indigenous peoples sustain many of the healthiest ecosystems on Earth: areas rich in biodiversity and systems essential to our global climate, freshwater, and food security. Nia Tero exists to ensure that Indigenous peoples have the economic power and cultural independence to steward, support, and protect their livelihoods and territories they call home. These places are vital to us all.