Tynker Times - Beyond the Merry Stage

Filmed, Directed, and Edited by John Schmit

 

Tynker Times is an interactive documentary about a five person performance troupe. Growing up on an off-grid homestead in the rural Southwest, the Whippo siblings passed the time by putting on shows, learning juggling, magic, and other performance skills. They eventually turned their homemade fun into a career taking them all over the world. Tynker Times follows them on the road and reveals both the whimsy and conviction which propels the troupe.

 

Launch the Tynker Times interactive documentary

 

Lake Invaders: The Fight for Lake Huron (2010 - 56 min.)

Written, Directed, and Edited by John Schmit

 

This Emmy-nominated documentary tells the history of exotic species invasions in Lake Huron and describes other invaders looming on the horizon.  Biologists from around the Great Lakes describe the invaders, the damage they have caused, and efforts to manage Lake Huron's ecosystem and multi-million dollar fisheries.

 

Lake Invaders was broadcast by PBS affiliates throughout Michigan and in Washington, D.C. and Austin, TX.