Meet Jackie Jesko: From News Producer to Acclaimed Documentary Filmmaker
Spotlight Q&A with Jackie Jesko
How did you first get into documentary filmmaking—was there a moment or project that shifted your path toward directing?
I spent the first 10 years of my career as a news producer, first at ABC News and later at VICE. Over those years, I found myself gravitating towards more long-form content and wanting to push the creative envelope further and further. So it was pretty organic for me to make the move into documentary, where there are fewer constraints on how you tell a story. But I think being a news producer is a great storytelling bootcamp and provided a fantastic foundation for me.
What’s your approach to crafting emotional depth in nonfiction storytelling?
I am a big fan of nuance when it comes to documentary filmmaking. What I mean by that is presenting the audience with competing sets of facts about a given person or situation and allowing them to draw their own conclusions. I think this approach feels more true to reality and leads the audience to have more emotional investment in the people they’re seeing onscreen. People are complicated, and situations are rarely totally black and white.
What drew you to Barbara Walters as the subject of your next documentary?
I was thrilled when I got the call to talk about directing a film about Barbara Walters. She’s a news industry icon and a woman who truly moved mountains in pursuit of her dreams. She deserves all the credit for shattering the glass ceiling for women in news. At the same time, she was a real person with weaknesses and personal struggles, just like all of us. And I was excited by the idea of showing a new audience a different, more intimate perspective on Barbara.
The title— “Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything”—feels so fitting. How did you land on it, and what does it represent about Barbara?
Like any great title, it started with a list of about 50 rejected titles. Titles are hard! But I’m happy we landed on this one because of the duality of Barbara wanting her interview subjects to tell her everything about themselves, and the film’s goal of revealing everything we could about Barbara. Our excellent partners at ABC News Studios loved it as soon as they saw it.
What surprised you most in your research or interviews about Barbara Walters’ life and legacy?
At the outset of making this film, I did not know much about Barbara’s early life. I know it can be cliche to say that someone’s childhood really shaped who they are, but when it comes to Barbara, its impact was undeniable. To grow up in her father’s glamorous nightclub surrounded by celebrities– it explains how she was so comfortable around fame. Then to have her father lose it all in a riches to rags story– that explains Barbara’s intense drive and fear of failure. I don’t know if you could have scripted a better backstory for her.
This film blends Barbara’s own words with interviews from cultural icons—how did you find the right balance between her voice and theirs?
We wanted to use Barbara’s voice whenever we could. At first, we weren’t sure how much material we had to work with of her telling her own story. But our great archival research team located a handful of in-depth interviews that were our building blocks. Most of them were interviews conducted by other ABC News talent.
The documentary includes voices like Oprah Winfrey, Joy Behar, and Monica Lewinsky. Was there a moment in those interviews that changed how you saw Barbara?
I hate to pick favorites, but I will admit that the Oprah interview felt really impactful to me. I had never heard Oprah talk about her reasons for deciding not to have children. In the film, she talks about her close mentor/mentee relationship with Barbara, and how Oprah saw Barbara’s life as an example to learn from. To hear Oprah’s thoughts on Barbara’s relationship with motherhood and how it impacted Oprah’s choices– it just felt very special and personal.
Barbara wasn’t just a witness to history—she was often part of it. How did you approach that duality as a filmmaker?
Barbara was sometimes a witness to history, but honestly, by the 80s and 90s it feels like she was more in the business of making news. She would do it by bringing these enormous newsmakers to the table to be interrogated by her. We subtly communicate that in the film.
You’ve worked on several powerful documentaries—what made this one unique in terms of creative process?
This was my very first time doing an entirely archival-driven documentary, so I had a lot to learn! I was lucky to be working with some of the extremely talented folks at Imagine Documentaries, who are very good at this sort of thing. ABC News Studios gave us access to their extraordinary archive of Barbara’s 5 decades on camera, so there was a LOT of great stuff to work with. But over time, we narrowed down on the stories that felt like they were the most meaningful to us and to Barbara herself. Barbara’s autobiography, Audition, was such an important resource for us in terms of understanding which career moments she thought mattered most.
The film premieres at Tribeca Festival—how does it feel to introduce Barbara’s story in New York, where so much of her career happened?
The whole team– ABC News Studios, Imagine and myself– were unanimous that the Tribeca Festival was the best home for the premiere of this film. Not only was Barbara one of the most New York women ever, but it’s a festival full of glamour and celebrity– two things she loved dearly.
What do you see as the most exciting (or challenging) thing about making documentaries in today’s media landscape?
The most exciting thing is that documentary film is now a very mainstream genre that commands large audiences on a regular basis. That wasn’t always the case.
What’s next for you—are there stories or subjects you’re especially eager to explore in your future work?
I have a few things in the works right now. But something I’ve really enjoyed over the past few years is the ability to make really varied work. Before this film, I directed a true crime series for HBO Documentaries. I’m now working on something in a similar vein. I find that I learn so much from every single project.
Is there anything you are reading or watching that you enjoy and would like to share?
Recent documentaries I’ve really enjoyed are PeeWee as Himself and The Kings of Tupelo. I also have to plug my dear friend Gianna Toboni’s new film about trans youth, Just Kids, that also debuted at Tribeca this year and is currently looking for distribution.