Maddy Reynolds ’19: An Outdoor Storyteller

What is your current professional role, Maddy?
In my current role I’m a contracted cinematographer and editor in the niche realm of outdoor film and brand storytelling. Over the past year and a half, I've been working on feature-length films about skiing at a company called Teton Gravity Research. I’ve also worked on shorter films, five- to seven-minute story pieces for companies like Airstream and REI, and we just did a shoot for a company called First Descents, which is a cancer nonprofit that facilitates outdoor experiences for people in their twenties who are dealing with long-term, life-altering illnesses.

How has OES helped you accomplish your life goals?
I would say that the biggest thing OES taught me is how to facilitate relationships with my professors. OES also taught me how to not only compete, but succeed and thrive in a highly-rigorous academic setting. Before I transferred to UC Boulder, I was at USC, and I was making a documentary in Sequoia National Park, driving six hours to go film every weekend. OES taught me that I can compete in those settings.”

How do you balance your career with finishing school?
I took a gap year right after I graduated high school, which I recommend to just about everyone. I also took the spring of 2023 off because I wanted to transfer schools and that’s when I dedicated my time to interning because I was able to work in a smaller intern crew and really dedicate my time to it. I now work for a company in Denver called The Public Works, an outdoor film and media company.  I will graduate CU Boulder in December 2024.

The way I balance school and work? First of all, the nature of my industry is that it ebbs and flows a little bit, so that helps. Second, by keeping on top of my assignments and really planning ahead for the future. I have all kinds of calendars, notebooks and I have a whiteboard calendar in my room. The biggest thing is being in touch with my professors, communicating early, and developing relationships. That's definitely something that I learned through OES.

What advice would you give to our graduating class and to our younger alums in school right now?
For me, I found the most growth and development when I gave myself permission to try something different and take a little bit of that pressure off until I was ready to really dedicate my time to something like film. My advice to younger alums and the class of 2024 would be that there isn’t necessarily a right way to move through your years after high school. Following your passions and being intentional with what you do, whether it’s being a raft guide, working in the service industry, or getting a big-time internship, there are a lot of ways you can spend your years after high school that will prepare you for the real world. I honestly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if I hadn’t spent three years as a raft guide. I got connected with professional athletes through being an RAF guide, and I found my passion in the outdoors. And I developed that into outdoor storytelling. I decided to prioritize what I was passionate about and what was important to me, and that’s what enabled me to succeed in where I am today.

Another piece of advice I would pass on to alumni and students is that you have the power to choose. I think the times in my life where I have seen the most growth and development are times where I kind of deviated from what I would’ve thought of as the traditional path when I graduated high school. In 2019, I was going into USC as a business major. I wanted to travel and do international business. But I changed my major several times, and I decided to prioritize what I was passionate about and what was important to me, whether it was values or lifestyle; and those are the things that have enabled me to succeed in where I am today.

What is a project that stands out to you, that you think you’ll always remember?
I have definitely had the privilege and opportunity to work on a lot of really cool projects. The first documentary I ever made will always be a standout memory for me. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into it and had so much emotional connection to it. The film was about high-severity wildfires in Sequoia National Park. I got to work with forest ecologists, hotshot wildland fire crews, and just all the people I met were so incredible and I totally fell in love with that place. Giving a voice to that story was a very empowering moment for both the people that I was working with and for myself. 

What is your favorite memory of OES?
My favorite memory is of the 2019 women’s basketball season. I was a co-captain with my best friend, Rachel Lowell ’19, and Alma Nye ’19. The women’s basketball team had never been to the state tournament and we had come off two losing seasons. Senior year we actually went to the state tournament and received so much support from the OES community. There was so much love, strength, and unity in that team and it was a really cool experience. 

Another favorite memory is the senior rafting trip because that’s when I decided I was going to be a raft guide. I spent a lot of time talking to the guides and they told me that I should apply the next summer. So I did. But then Oregon shut down for Covid-19 but Montana did not, so I ended up moving out there and becoming a raft guide and that’s been my home base for the past four and a half years. I spent three years being a whitewater raft guide, and those were some of the best years of my life. I learned how to navigate the wilderness and very high-stress situations, naturally, but I also learned how to handle client relationships, manage coworker relationships, and how to connect with people while fostering outdoor experiences for them. That was very fulfilling.

What is up next for you?
One thing that I have lined up is making an all-women’s mountain bike film in Montana in August for a company called Evil Bikes. A woman I met rides for Evil, she competes at the pro level in freeride mountain biking, and she’s hosting an all-women’s mountain biking event in Montana. She’s a pioneer in these types of events. We connected around the shared value of promoting women in the outdoor industry. So I’ll be in Montana this summer working on that.