About
I'm an award-winning multimedia journalist from the Pacific Northwest. I specialize in video and audio production, as well as science and environmental journalism.I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in visual journalism and chemistry at Western Washington University, and was picked as the 2017 Outstanding Graduate by the Western Journalism Department.I'm currently a video producer at Grist, covering climate change, the environment, and science. I also make occasional cooking videos with J. Kenji López-Alt. Before that, I was editor-in-chief at The Planet Magazine, Western Washington University's award-winning environmental magazine.
Awards
| Work | Award | Category | Place | Recipient | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proof of Concept (Season 2) | AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards | Video: Spot News/Feature Reporting | Gold | Jesse Nichols | 2024 |
| Proof of Concept | Northwest Excellence in Journalism Award | Best Video Series, Large Newsroom | First Place | Jesse Nichols and Daniel Penner | 2023 |
| Proof of Concept | ONA Online Journalism Awards | Digital Video Storytelling Series, Small/Medium Newsrooms | Finalist | Jesse Nichols and Daniel Penner | 2022 |
| Proof of Concept | FOLIO Eddie Awards | Video, Consumer | Nominee | Jesse Nichols and Daniel Penner | 2022 |
| Did DDT play a role in my family’s cancers? | SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Award | Video, General | Second Place | Jesse Nichols and Regan Bervar | 2021 |
| Urban Climate Change and Adaptation Series | SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Award | Reporting Series | First Place | Jesse Nichols | 2019 |
| Grist Explainers | FOLIO Rising Star Award | Rising Star | N/A | Jesse Nichols | 2018 |
| Troubled Waters | SPJ Mark of Excellence Award | Online/Digital Feature Videography | National Winner | Jesse Nichols and Kjell Redal | 2018 |
| Political Science | SPJ Northwest Mark of Excellence Award | Non-Fiction Magazine Article | Finalist | Jesse Nichols | 2018 |
| Murder Mystery | SPJ Northwest Mark of Excellence Award | Online/Digital Feature Videography | Finalist | Jesse Nichols | 2018 |
| The Planet Magazine | SPJ Northwest Mark of Excellence Award | Best Student Magazine | Finalist | Magazine staff (Jesse Nichols EIC) | 2018 |
| Yellow Cedars | SPJ Northwest Mark of Excellence Award | Best Radio Feature | Jesse Nichols | First Place | 2017 |
Portfolio
I'm a video producer at Grist. You can check out my latest Grist work here. For other selected video work, check out my reel:
Selected projects
Proof of Concept
Proof of Concept is an award-winning science video series from Grist. The series — now in its second season — profiles the science and scientists behind some of the most surprising recent environmental research and discoveries.
Grist Explainers
Through a combination of deep reporting and data-driven animation, Grist explainers break down the most important climate information in a fun, engaging way. Click here to see a case study of how I use science, data, and programming to create dynamic visuals.
Grist Explainers
Case Study: Wet Bulb Temperature Graphic
In the summer of 2022, I was reporting and producing a story about wet bulb temperatures — a unit of measurement that combines heat and humidity. Wet bulb temperatures are important because they represents the temperature that humans experiences after sweat cools them off. If wet bulb temperatures rise above 95º F — as some parts of the world are starting to experience — the human body has no way to prevent itself from overheating.My goal was to create a data-driven visual to help break down the concept for viewers.I always start my designs with research. In this case, I found a scientific study that created a formula to derive wet bulb temperatures from standard units of heat and relative humidity. Now that I had an equation, I could write an expression to in Adobe After Effects.
Now that I had the mathematical backbone for the visual, I could start to design the graphic. I started with a rectangle. On one axis, I created a slider icon for humidity. On the other, I created a slider icon for temperature. In the center of the rectangle, I displayed the wet bulb temperature, and color coded the background from yellow to red.
This graphic was a great example of my philosophy of designing engaging visuals rooted in science. You can see the full video here: