04 Mar Maja K. Mikkelsen
Maja K. Mikkelsen, Instant Filmmaking Sucsess
(3 minutes of value)
Maja blew up out of nowhere. Her first ever short-documentary The Last Observers is at 2.2M views on Youtube. How, you might ask, did she get her film to achieve such recognition? Was it luck, connections, or just the right place at the right time?
Questions need answers and that’s what I sought out today. Maja joined me on the Votary Podcast to discuss her fast rise to success, and extensible background as a human being. Here’s what I learned
Here’s the full video :
Instant success is not so instant
What viewers might see as an instant success story took Maja 6 years to create. I’d like to think of it as a senior capstone project, similar to which college students endure.
Over this period of time, Maja learned what it took to become a filmmaker. Learning about cameras, productions, and editing through trial and error. She learned best by doing. Through doing, she learned and overcame her fears and imposter syndrome. She proved to herself that she belonged.
Her motivation simply came from wanting to share her parents’ life as birdwatchers and weather trackers. Then Patagonia came into the picture.
How to get picked up by Patagonia as a filmmaker
Patagonia freaking films! Pretty cool to have in your portfolio. “Yeah, I just make documentaries for Patagonia, no biggie.” Obviously Maja didn’t say that, but she might as well have. Her story of finding her way into working with them was sweet, and a bit romantic….
Maja is married with a kid on the way. When she was dating her husband, her boyfriend at the time, he pitched Maja’s project to them and sparked their interest.
But how did this chivalrous night make it into the boardroom?
He created his own fate.
He cold outreached to a Patagonia producer and said that he was in the area. They agreed to meet. But her husband really wasn’t in the area. A long road trip later and he was able to create that connection.That connection helped him share Maja’s project.
Being open to change
I love Maja’s mentality! I’m a little worried that my American enthusiasm might have overwhelmed her but oh well.
Her parents were the protagonists in The Last Observer. They led a life where they pursued what they liked and weren’t afraid to change. Her dad went to school to teach English but ended up a birdwatcher and weather observer. Similar story for her mom. This openness to following the whims of life was instilled into Maja and she took them to heart. Here’s her progression.
- Went to school for Marine Biology after her first dive
- Realized all she was doing was learning but not applying.
- Decided to teach diving and went to Mexico.
- Got tired of the constant changing of tourists.
- Became a teacher
- While being a teacher she began creating The Last Observers.
- Quit teaching, then the film blew up two weeks later. Thank you Universe.
- Is working on her second Patagonia project.
I just love sharing these progressions.
