ABOUT ME
Mike Shum was born in Denver, Colorado, to immigrant parents from Hong Kong. He grew up in the Montbello neighborhood where he forged a passion for engaging with diverse cultural perspectives. An Asian American and graduate of Colorado College, he majored in Sociology while also pursuing minors in Film Studies and African Studies. His education laid the foundation for his career starting out in video news reporting.
He covered stories ranging from the rise of the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a survivor of an ISIS massacre in Iraq which garnered him his first News & Documentary Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interview. He’s witnessed many of the most pressing global events of the past decade with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and National Geographic.
With over 15 years of experience, Shum has produced, directed, and filmed projects that blends the art of filmmaking with immersive on-the-ground research and reporting. His body of work spans broadcast television, investigative journalism, and feature documentaries. He served as producer and director of photography for Hondros, a tribute to the life and work of war photographer Chris Hondros, which was distributed by Netflix following its premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Partnering with Al Jazeera’s Witness series led to the making of three short documentaries that profile the resilience and strength of American women as they face the challenges of culture, climate change, and existential crisis.
His work with PBS Frontline has examined a broad range of critical issues, including political polarization in American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil and public safety in the documentaries, Police on Trial and Documenting Police Use of Force. His films have been recognized with nominations and awards from the National News & Documentary Emmys, the NAACP Image Awards, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award, and the Nieman Foundation’s Worth Bingham Prize.
Shum is currently a part of the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism’s class of 2025 at Harvard University, where he is exploring the future of journalism and examining how storytelling can forge public trust and accountability through documentary film.
He is the co-founder of the Mountain Media Arts Collective, a Colorado-based organization that supports and trains underrepresented communities in the media arts.
Awards and Recognition
2024 Spirit of Adventure Award, Colorado College Alumni Association
2023 Police on Trial, Salute to Excellence Award Winner, The National Association of Black Journalists Awards
2022 Police on Trial, Outstanding Documentary Television Finalist, The NAACP Image Awards
2022 My Eternal Art, Arts and Culture Award Finalist, The Foreign Press Association
2021 DOCNYC's 40 Under 40 Emerging Filmmakers
2020 Predator on the Reservation, Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism, The Nieman Foundation
2020 Predator on the Reservation, Television and Radio Journalism Award Winner, NIHCM Foundation Awards
2020 Predator on the Reservation, Outstanding Investigative Documentary Finalist, News & Documentary Emmy Awards
2017 Hondros, Audience Award Documentary First Place, Tribeca Film Festival
2015 Surviving an ISIS Massacre, Outstanding Interview Finalist, News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Teaching
2025 Documentary Filmmaking Mentor, Masters in Media, Medicine, and Health Program, Harvard University
2024 Cinematography Mentor, Diverse Voices Initiative, PBS
2023 Visiting Faculty, Social Theory in Documentary Film, Colorado College Sociology Department
2022 Visiting Faculty, Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking, Anderson Ranch Arts Center
2022 Guest Lecturer, The Journalism Institute at Colorado College
2022 Guest Lecturer, Multimedia Journalism, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
2020 Guest Lecturer, Documentary Cinematography, University of California at Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism
Mike Shum was born in Denver, Colorado, to immigrant parents from Hong Kong. He grew up in the Montbello neighborhood where he forged a passion for engaging with diverse cultural perspectives. An Asian American and graduate of Colorado College, he majored in Sociology while also pursuing minors in Film Studies and African Studies. His education laid the foundation for his career starting out in video news reporting.
He covered stories ranging from the rise of the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a survivor of an ISIS massacre in Iraq which garnered him his first News & Documentary Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interview. He’s witnessed many of the most pressing global events of the past decade with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and National Geographic.
With over 15 years of experience, Shum has produced, directed, and filmed projects that blends the art of filmmaking with immersive on-the-ground research and reporting. His body of work spans broadcast television, investigative journalism, and feature documentaries. He served as producer and director of photography for Hondros, a tribute to the life and work of war photographer Chris Hondros, which was distributed by Netflix following its premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Partnering with Al Jazeera’s Witness series led to the making of three short documentaries that profile the resilience and strength of American women as they face the challenges of culture, climate change, and existential crisis.
His work with PBS Frontline has examined a broad range of critical issues, including political polarization in American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil and public safety in the documentaries, Police on Trial and Documenting Police Use of Force. His films have been recognized with nominations and awards from the National News & Documentary Emmys, the NAACP Image Awards, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award, and the Nieman Foundation’s Worth Bingham Prize.
Shum is currently a part of the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism’s class of 2025 at Harvard University, where he is exploring the future of journalism and examining how storytelling can forge public trust and accountability through documentary film.
He is the co-founder of the Mountain Media Arts Collective, a Colorado-based organization that supports and trains underrepresented communities in the media arts.