MacGregor Campbell is a digital product leader with previous lives as a journalist, designer, producer, animator, curriculum developer and teacher. He specializes in making information products that clarify complexity, facilitate smart decisions and connect at the human level.

As a reporter covering tech in the Bay Area, Mac was one of the first to trace the evolution of the DOD-funded AI project that would become Apple’s Siri. For New Scientist, he interviewed luminaries like Jaron Lanier and Sean Carroll, designed interactive digital features, and created one of the web’s first animated science-explainer video series. The videos that would become the Explanimator channel garnered millions of views, attracted over 12,000 YouTube subscribers organically in 6 months, and created a new revenue stream in the form of sponsored explainers.

As a senior visual producer at Oregon Public Broadcasting, Mac directed the product team responsible for OPB’s elections results reporting page, coordinating election-night publishing efforts across web and social in 2016, 2018, and 2020. He also led the creation of a series of Emmy-winning explainer videos designed to clarify issues for voters.

In 2019-2020, Mac co-led a redesign of OPB’s website, helping the company transition from a local legacy broadcaster into a region-leading digital-first news site. He translated audience research into product principles leading to core information architecture decisions and he designed new workflows for handling daily digital news production. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he remotely trained OPB’s entire staff to use the new site and CMS, ensuring an on-schedule relaunch.

In 2021 Mac co-created and launched Superabundant, a food journalism documentary series focused on iconic food ingredients of the Pacific Northwest. The series quickly became revenue-generating and was touted as a blueprint for bringing OPB’s decades-long history of TV and video production into the future. The series was also OPB’s first to be created with a meaningful audience funnel in mind, paving the way to future audience and supporter growth.

As an animator and script consultant, Mac was a member of the ProPublica team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. His work on this project also earned him Society for News Design, White House Correspondents’ and Malofiej Silver awards. He’s won a number of Tellys, regional Emmys, RTNDA Murrow and SPJ awards as a producer and animator. As a story editor he’s helped two of his colleagues win Best of the West video journalism awards and shaped many of OPB’s highest performing videos on YouTube.

His first real job was teaching Algebra to middle schoolers in Compton, California.

Some recent favorites:

If we are what we eat, and what we eat is of a place, then we are that place. Superabundant is a series of mini documentaries about iconic Pacific Northwest food ingredients. We use food as a lens on culture, history, economics, aesthetics and ecology, revealing the many connections that keep our food systems vibrant and productive. I am the Co-Creator–with Arya Surowidjojo– Executive Producer, Product Manager, Story Editor and Lead Animator for the series. The series was honored with multiple Telly awards and a regional Emmy in 2022. Latest episodes here.

Adrift. In collaboration with the team at ProPublica, I conceived of and animated the 3D sequences, including reconstructions of night vision flying, for this deep dive explainer looking at a mid-air collision between two Marine Corps aircraft. I also provided early-stage script and production consulting as well as a couple of the the 2D motion graphics shots. The production process was highly collaborative, with producer Katie Campbell, reporter Robert Faturechi, editor Joe Singer, visual investigations producer Lucas Waldron and illustrator Matt Huynh. With encouragement and guidance from the team, I tried some ambitious 3D night vision sequences in Blender that, after a few late nights, seemed to work out and help tell the story. Winner of three 2019 SND Awards of Excellence for Animation, Illustration and Use of Video. Winner of a Malofiej 28 silver medal. Finalist, 2020 OJA Medium Form Digital Video Storytelling. This video was also part of a series that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

Oregon Measure 109 explained. This was one of three election explainer videos (and one comic!) that I oversaw for the 2020 general election. In collaboration with producer-shooter-editor, Arya Surowidjojo and producer-writer-reporter, Jes Burns, I co-produced, script-edited, wrote the visual script, conceived of and executed all graphics and animation sequences, and contributed some sound design. All 2020 ballot explainers here. 2022 here.

How Dangerous Are The Northwest’s Volcanoes? I reported, wrote, edited, animated, voiced and produced this explainer looking at the underlying forces driving the dramatic geology of the Pacific Northwest. Nominated for a 2019 regional Emmy.

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On the creative side

These three videos aren’t exactly journalism, but show a range of visual approaches and production techniques.

The History of Jazz. Created for KMHD. I script-edited, sound-designed, and animated using paper cutouts, filmed with my iPhone. I also made the cut outs. Created in collaboration with KMHD station director Matt Fleeger and host Derek Smith.

A is for Asteroid. Created for AEPDX’s Alphabest festival, part of Design Week Portland. I edited, composed music, sound-designed, illustrated and animated. Created in collaboration with Cleo Campbell.

Exploding Dots. Created in conjunction with The Global Math Project, a worldwide coalition of math teachers teaching math foundations. I adapted a math puzzle invented by James Tanton into a wordless motion graphic explainer/teaser, meant to appeal to students without relying on language.

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Illustration and animation work

For a quick sense of the range of stories topics, visual approaches and production techniques I have tackled over the years:

Oregon Measure 110 explained

This was another of the three 2020 election explainer videos I produced. It was a more serious topic and necessitated a more serious approach than the video on Psilocybin. I collaborated with OPB reporter, Amelia Templeton, who worked on this same issue for radio and print to share information and ensure accuracy.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: producer, writer, illustrator, animator, sound designer, composer

Portland’s Rohingya community

My colleague Arya Surowidjojo produced this video on Rohingya refugees finding a new life in Portland. He asked for my help in tying their local story in Portland to the larger story of persecution in Myanmar. We used animated maps and drone videography to illustrate the deep historical roots and broad geographical consequences of this 21st century genocide.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Motion graphics, story/script editing, drone videography

The tree that built the Northwest

This explainer video looked at the role of the Douglas fir tree in the ecology and economy of the Pacific Northwest. Created with shooter-editor John Rosman.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: producer, reporter, writer, illustrator, animator

Hanford clean-up

This video boiled down hundreds of pages of documents collected by investigative reporter Robert McClure to explain why the Hanford nuclear site clean up is far behind schedule. Awarded 2016 NW Regional Emmy for Informational/Instructional.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: producer, reporter, writer, illustrator, animator, sound designer

Salmon vs dams

Earthfix reporter Courtney Flatt and I collaborated on this video looking at the possible effects on native salmon runs of removing dams from the Snake River . Nominated for 2017 NW Regional Emmy.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: producer, script-editor, video editor, illustrator, animator

Why do we have allergies?

The Willamette valley in Oregon is one of the worst spots for allergy sufferers in the US West. I made this video to look at the deep evolutionary roots of allergies and how our modern lifestyles may be at least partly to blame for increasing rates of allergy sufferers. Awarded 2019 NW Craft Emmy for graphic arts.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: All the things!

Why eclipses have fascinated us

The 2017 solar eclipse drew massive crowds to Oregon. I made this video to look at the relationship between humans and eclipses throughout history, highlighting the breakthroughs that these natural phenomena have led us to. This one relied on a number of techniques, from stop-motion paint loops, to collage motion graphics, to 3D animation in Blender. Winner of a 2018 Regional Murrow award.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: All the things!

Terminal 1 explained

This was a quick turn explainer made in collaboration with reporter Amelia Templeton and videographer John Rosman about a complex business transaction with ramifications for people experiencing houselessness in Portland. Nominated for 2017 NW Regional Emmy for news segment.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Producer, script-editor, illustrator, animator

Mystery sharks of Seattle

I created a number of animated sequences for this long form documentary on Six-gill sharks living in the water off of downtown Seattle. I collaborated with film-maker Michael Werner on visual concepts for the sequences and iterated until we had something that served the greater project. This film won a 2017 National Murrow award.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Illustrator, animator, some sound design

The Horizon Problem

From 2010-2017 I created a series of animated explainer videos for New Scientist magazine. These eventually became the Explanimator YouTube channel, which grew from 0-12k subscribers in 6 months before a change in leadership resulted in a different video strategy. This video on a fundamental mystery in physics is one of my favorites.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: All the things!

Architectural Intelligence

I did early-stage concept production and prototyping for this design agency video on smart buildings. We used small laser projectors to illuminate classic wooden unit blocks to show how information technology can re-contextualize classically understood disciplines such as architecture. Created with science journalist and film maker John Pavlus.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Creative and practical visual concept development

Nat Geo View App

This was another collaboration with John Pavlus. For this promo video we brought an old stack of National Geographic magazines to life by playing with frame rates and stop motion techniques.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Creative and practical visual concept development and execution

Fracking Donuts

I series-produced a set of three explainer videos on fracking for Inside Energy in collaboration with reporter Jordan Wirfs-Brock. For the first video, I worked with videographer-editor John Rosman to make this physical explainer about why fracking took off in the US.

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Producer, director, story/script-editor, pastry procurer

And for the third video in the series, I illustrated and animated the various parties in a fracking business transaction as a metaphorical board game. (I hired producer-animator, Teresa Mahoney to produce the second video.)

Selected screen caps:

Full video. My role: Producer, story/script-editor, illustrator, animator, sound designer

Want to work together? Get in touch at mac at macgregorcampbell dot com or LinkedIn