Idaho Falls' Tight Line Media Celebrates 20 Years in Business
Kris Millgate has an expansive vision.
Driven by connecting people to nature and powered by her storytelling abilities and multimedia expertise, Millgate heads Tight Line Media, a company she founded and that this year celebrates 20 years in business.
As a multimedia journalist, she creates the content available from Tight Line Media, which includes nature-focused videos, print products, and audiobook offerings. In her work, Millgate partners with professionals in the Idaho Falls community.
While gathering stories about nature, she has been close to bears, followed salmon migration for over 800 miles, enjoyed quietness on the high desert, and had other poignant and memorable experiences.
“I want to repair humanity’s disconnect with nature. To do that, I show you what happens when the wild tries to make its way with us in the way,” she explains.
In Nature
Millgate has experienced what are “not glamorous moments” while gathering content for stories she tells. “My nose bleeds during wildfire season. My snot freezes when it’s 18 degrees below zero,” she reports. But still, she embraces nature and the challenges that come with reporting on it.
“Broken cameras, broken bones, bruises, stitches. What happens in the field is never pretty, but I usually have something pretty amazing when I come home to import footage,” she says.
Tight Line Media
Before starting Tight Line Media, Millgate shared 2-minute, nature-related stories on local news broadcasts. “Now I produce content for various print and video media outlets nationwide, and I’ve stretched my abilities from 2-minute stories I can flip in a day to half-hour documentaries that take months to complete,” she says.
Tight Line Media’s offerings include the Emmy-winning film “On Grizzly Ground”, which chronicles grizzlies during a summer; the documentary “Ocean to Idaho” on salmon and their challenging migration; and other video productions.
Four written works that create the “My Place” grouping are also available from Tight Line Media. Each is offered in print and e-book format—with audiobook versions also for sale.
Up next? “Sage Wisdom West.” This project gives attention to the greater sage grouse and the desert where this, the largest of North America’s grouse, lives. Millgate says the project’s takeaway is, “The desert is not a dump.”
The world premiere of “Sage Wisdom West” is set for April 2 in Idaho Falls.
Lessons Learned and Shared
Millgate has learned a lot in nature, and her media outreach provides an outlet to share some meaningful lessons.
“The wild is not ours to take. It is ours to protect for now. It’s our turn with it. Don’t miss your turn,” she says. “The most important thing I can do with storytelling is open your eyes, increase your awareness of the natural world around us.”
She continues, “It’s highly likely that once you know what’s going on outside, you’ll care more about it. You’ll think more about it. I don’t want to tell you what to think. I just want you to think. Think hard enough, and you’ll do something about what you saw while your eyes were open.”
A Multimedia Journalist
Her work has drawn on Millgate’s abilities as a researcher, writer, editor, and videographer. “Having such a varied skillset reduces the time it takes to make a concept come to life,” Millgate says. “... I know what I want done, however crazy it may seem, and I do it with my high expectations held throughout.”
At Home in Idaho Falls
With all of the outdoor adventuring she embraces, Millgate keeps and appreciates her home base in Idaho Falls.
“I don’t feel limited living here. I feel lucky. I work all over the country, but I choose to live here, to raise my family here. I also choose to hire local whenever possible. We have a well of talent in our community,” she says. “I don’t have staff, but I do hire contractors. My music is composed locally. My graphics are designed locally.” A local company also services the truck camper she takes on her outings.
Another local partner is Manwaring Web Solutions (MWS), which created and manages Tight Line Media’s website. MWS also created the product-purchasing functionality of the site’s “Shop” page and the portal for watching Millgate’s movies.
Manwaring Web Solutions is proud to partner with Millgate and congratulates her on 20 years of Tight Line Media. She and her company continue to benefit Idaho Falls and the nature around it.
“Being nature’s ambassador for 20 years and reminding you of your place in the wild is my proudest contribution,” she says. Thanks, Kris, for what you have contributed, and for the contributions still ahead.
Making a Connection
Connect with multimedia journalist Kris Millgate and Tight Line Media.
#tightlinemedia
@krismillgate on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
tightlinemedia.com
About the author
MWS