One of the Pacific Northwest’s first female documentarians, Jean Walkinshaw created documentaries for decades shining a light on social and cultural issues.
SEATTLE — Trailblazing documentary filmmaker Jean Walkinshaw, who got her start at KING 5, has died. A family member confirmed her death to KING 5 on Thursday.
Walkinshaw was one of the first female documentary producers in the Northwest.
One of her first big projects was producing “Face to Face” on KING 5, which was a news program that focused on key issues impacting Seattle, including race and poverty. The show launched in the 1960s when social changes were rocking Seattle.
“It was the first program in the nation to consistently cover minority peoples, and it was the first in the Seattle area certainly to have a Black moderator,” Walkinshaw told KING 5 in 2018 as part of KING 5’s 70th anniversary coverage.
Walkinshaw spent seven years at KING 5 before going to KCTS 9, where she worked for 31 years producing documentaries. Her films ranged from local to international topics, including documentaries on children of the homeless, Mount Rainier National Park and ones on Ghana, Russia and Japan.
A pioneer in her field, Walkinshaw was the first female producer inducted into the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle, and in 2019, she was inducted into the Gold Circle — the organization’s highest honor. She has also won numerous awards, including eight Northwest Regional Emmy Awards.
Walkinshaw grew up in Tacoma and attended Stanford University. She taught school for three years before beginning her documentary career.
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