Andy Mitchell: Producer, Director of Photography, Writer for Documentary Films
Andy Mitchell, or ‘Mitch’ as his friends call him, is a documentary filmmaker who’s worked on films that have won Emmys of all things. A large portion of his time has been spent with National Geographic, but since 2005, he’s worked independently – nabbing the best projects. His work sends him all over the world, under water, on mountain tops and beyond. In his own words:
“Today my office is the world. During the past seven years, I’ve had a backstage pass to the world, which has landed me in dozens of countries. So far, in my office, I’ve been attacked by a tapir and burned by a Portuguese man-of-war. I’ve been bitten by venomous ants on three continents and woken up by a scorpion’s sting. But the thing is, I love my office more than I ever dreamed I could. I’ve ridden in submarines; swum in the Panama Canal; worked to save scarlet macaw babies; drunk rum with tropical lighthouse keepers; wrestled crocodiles; cheered on egg-laying sea turtles; snuggled with lions and tigers, pumas and cheetahs; ridden elephants; swum in all four oceans; and snowmobiled through the nothingness of the Arctic into a never-setting sun.”
Interview
The Daily Norm: My readers and I would like to make sure you are, in fact, human – it levels the ‘normalcy’ playing field. So do you eat, go to the bathroom, bleed and cry?
Andy Mitchell: Normalcy is a relative thing. I sweat like a pig… but don’t bleed anywhere near as much as I used to. Unfortunately that invincibility shield that miraculously kept me alive is wearing off… (that and having a kid.) The kid changes everything. I cry way too much… like, way too much. Little House on the Prairie… oh yeah. Pa was always so right on. Of all the bodily fluids to involuntarily excrete—tears aren’t so bad. Which brings me to the bathroom… without being too graphic, let’s just say my poop right now probably isn’t as normal as most peoples. Living in the swamps of Congo for a while will do that to you. I’m planning the next big diet craze… the Parasite Diet—a few bugs and you’re down 30 pounds in just a few weeks.
TDN: What’s your daily schedule on a normal day?
AM: I have no normal day. A blessing and a curse. One day I’ll jump out of a helicopter into shark infested waters—and the next, go to the petting zoo with my kid. I pet wild lions, get charged by silverback Gorillas, and discover Mayan ruins—but I’m never happier than when I’m at home—family and friends, roaring fire, comfort food, a glass of wine (maybe a joint), and nothing to do but appreciate that very moment. It’s lucky to be in the moment that really matters—and actually realize it. That is what I live for.
TDN: Name one thing that you have to do on a regular basis that you despise. What lengths would you actually go to, in order to delete it from your schedule?
AM: Leaving home is the hardest thing I have to do. But coming home is so great that it almost… almost makes it worth it.
TDN: What would you change about your work, industry, profession or self if you could change anything?
AM: There are countless things I’d change about my work, industry and my profession… but I find myself ranting about those things far too much already. The world is flawed. Deal with it. But the one area I feel I can make some progress is in myself. Being the one in my circle of college friends believed least likely to do anything—I’ve made some progress, but still have a LONG way to go. Among my many problems—vice. I like vices… and have quite a few. They’re really good coping mechanisms. Luckily—kids help change that too.
TDN: Is there any life stage or event you would have skipped (like geometry) on the way to where you are now? Would it have been missed?
AM: I could have added some… but wouldn’t skip a thing. All the bumps and bruises, arrests and giant embarrassments along the way make you the twisted person you become. There are many things I’d like to forget, but not erase. I thank whatever entity kept me alive through my youth. I loved Geometry.
TDN: What was your main stepping stone to getting to where you are today? (Person, place, thing, luck, pluck, virtue?)
AM: I really sucked at school. Really sucked (except for geometry). But for some reason the working world inspired me. Luckily, I developed an intense drive the day I left college. But that’s not the question. I got ahead by whoring myself out to whomever would have me (not in a dirty way), if there was something I could learn… I volunteered for any and every opportunity I could—and was ready to do anything. Get coffee, buy extra large condoms (long story), or drive through a tornado (also a long story). There is nothing worse to me than entitlement. Real accomplishment is earned with hard work.
TDN: What word or phrase do you say most often?
AM: Well, our child’s daycare would probably tell you it’s “fuck”.
TDN: What is your single biggest accomplishment?
AM: Finding my soul mate and procreating, hands down. Again… so cliché, but my family has given me an emotional perspective like I’ve never experienced. A bump in the road that once would have floored me for days, leaving that pit in my stomach… now seems so manageable. Which makes it manageable.
TDN: Is there anything that you can’t live without? (besides food, water and oxygen)
AM: Sleep?
TDN: What’s the best part of your life?
AM: I’m getting redundant here… but family and friends. Love really is the best thing out there. My ultimate drug.
TDN: And have you figured out how to get more of it?
AM: I’m just trying to not lose what I already have.
TDN: What is your ultimate motivation tool?
AM: Will you hold it against me if I said vice? And fear of failure?
TDN: If someone wanted to be you or do what you do, what would you say to them?
AM: I would tell anyone the same thing. Figure out what you want to do. Figure out how to do it. Do it. It sounds so simple, but when done with realistic expectations—it’s the best chance you got.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Another great interview, although I can do without the shark photo – my greatest fear!
“There is nothing worse to me than entitlement. Real accomplishment is earned with hard work.”
My favorite line. Absolute favorite. Want it on a T shirt.