Caitlyn Hynes '14

Major: History
Profession: Associate Producer at DLP Media Group
Hometown: Upland, CA

What are you doing now? 

I currently work in the documentary industry as an associate producer for DLP Media Group on a documentary series that is currently in production. My responsibilities shift depending on what our director, producers and editors need, which means I’m rarely doing the same thing for more than a few days at a time. On any given you day you may find me researching our topic, writing interview questions, tracking down archival footage or working with footage in our editing system.

How did you get there?

I’ve had the opportunity to explore a few different fields since graduating from Pomona, including the non-profit world, private investigation and the documentary industry. While at Pomona, I took a documentary media class during my last semester on a whim and realized that it incorporated many of my interests, including research, writing and video production. After graduation, I worked as an intern with the non-profit World Vision International, and then as a researcher on the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the 2006 Duke University lacrosse rape case, Fantastic Lies. In 2016, I received my master’s degree from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and trained in broadcast, radio and print journalism while focusing on documentary film. I had wondered how helpful my history degree would be for my career in the real world, but the research and writing skills that I developed at Pomona were immensely helpful as a journalist and documentary researcher. 

While in graduate school, I worked for a private investigator and continued in that field for almost a year after graduation, though working in the documentary industry was always my end goal. I then had the opportunity to work on the HBO documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, and subsequently transitioned into an associate producer position at Herzog & Company for two projects; the CNN series The History of Comedy and the National Comedy Center, a museum that is set to open in August 2018. I’m currently working on a documentary series with DLP Media Group.

How did Pomona prepare you? 

I’m so thankful for the opportunities that Pomona provided, both in and out of the classroom. I was able to explore so many different disciplines, and virtually every class I took helped me develop skills that I use on a regular basis. As a history major specifically, I learned to read, digest and summarize huge amounts of information, and had the support of professors whenever I needed it. As most projects that I work on now require huge amounts of research on a short timeline, I’m grateful for all the practice that provided! I also had the opportunity to take video production and photography classes. I initially took them just to provide some variety in my schedule but found that I really enjoyed the creative outlet that they provided.

One of the most pivotal opportunities for me was the summer I spent in London doing archival research for my senior thesis through the Oldenborg International Research and Travel Grant. I used the Wiener Library and Imperial War Museum collections for my research on the 1938-39 Kindertransport movement to resettle Jewish children from the Third Reich in Great Britain, and attended the 75th anniversary of the movement, where I was able to interview survivors. I now use archives on a regular basis, and that experience gave me a huge advantage in navigating them and communicating with archival staff about what we need for our projects. The opportunity to speak with survivors also cemented my passion for oral history projects and documenting the experiences of people who can humanize the effect that politics and legislation have on individual lives beyond facts and statistics.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to be directing, producing and editing my own projects. It’s hard to say where I will be or who I will be working with, but I hope to have the opportunity to explore and share my interests through my own projects.

Any advice for prospective or current students?

I have two pieces of advice. The first is to take classes outside of your major and explore disciplines on the opposite spectrum of what you are initially drawn to. Every class that I took outside my comfort zone was challenging, and often frustrating, but helped me grow in some way or another. Find classes that will stretch your brain in a different way than what your major requires.

Secondly, look around you and be intentional about making friends with people who have vastly different experiences and points of view than you do. Pomona is such a diverse place, but often we naturally fall in with others with whom we share similarities. Sometimes it takes intentional effort to truly get to know someone outside of our comfort zone, whatever that may look like, but it is worth it to expand our bubble and allow ourselves to be changed by those around us. Be honest and respectful and have open conversations with each other, while leaving room for the evolution of your own mind.