McKinleigh Lair is an accomplished creative communications professional based in Denver, Colorado. As a Senior Associate of Storytelling and Communications Development at Blue Forest, she currently blends her background in creative writing and documentary camerawork to educate, inspire, and build investment in innovative environmental solutions that are making our world a better place. Previously she worked in social impact communications at the George Kaiser Family Foundation’s Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST), where she managed impactful multimedia storytelling projects, the initiative’s website, and a high-engagement monthly newsletter.
McKinleigh has traveled extensively across the United States, contributing to award-winning projects as both an associate producer and camera operator while collaborating with clients such as Radical Media, PBS, Business Insider, and the Obama Foundation. Her camera work can be seen on the Peabody Award-winning Aftershock and Vice News Tonight. Her producing work is featured on season 16 of ABC’s What Would You Do? and a series for Vice World News.
Her directorial work includes a documentary on active shooter drills that streamed with PBS and an environmental documentary for the Alabama Rivers Alliance. During a US State Department fellowship in Germany, she led a storytelling project in her hometown's German sister city, photographing over 40 unique stories.
Early in her career, McKinleigh supported curation at PBS American Documentary | POV, assisted at Kartemquin Films, and worked on The New York Times’ The Weekly. She holds a BA in Documentary Studies and Production from Ithaca College, where her senior thesis earned a College Emmy nomination. Her academic journey also included enriching study-abroad experiences in Seoul, London, and Jönköping, Sweden. Her passion for documentaries started in high school, with one of her early works receiving a Heartland Emmy nomination, laying the foundation for her career in impactful storytelling.
McKinleigh is a member of the Documentary Cinematographers Alliance and holds an FAA Part 107 certification. She owns a C300 mkii, Mavic 2 Pro drone, and sound gear.
