Esta Pratt-Kielley is a digital news reporter at Maine Public, where she writes and produces multimedia stories, seeking to bring Maine Public’s storytelling to life across platforms.
Before moving to Maine, Esta lived and worked in New York City. She wrote and produced daily news for MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, covering national politics, the 2020 election, racial justice protests and the coronavirus pandemic. Before that, Esta reported national education stories for NBC News, where she produced short documentaries and educational video series, helped launch a Webby award-winning parenting website, wrote and produced episodes for a daily news show for kids, and traveled across the country to produce live-audience broadcasts in partnership with local NBC affiliate stations. In October 2019, Esta was the senior producer for a televised, live-audience event in Detroit, Michigan, that put a spotlight on the city’s education system, covering the most salient issues facing the community, including the impact of trauma in the classroom. Esta’s favorite part of journalism is talking to different people – and she has interviewed people ranging from a four-year-old entrepreneur to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Esta is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, where she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a Journalism degree and a Fine Arts minor. Esta’s career in journalism began at her college radio station, where she reported daily newscasts and hosted a weekly talk show. She also worked on several magazines during her time in the J-school, contributing to the magazine design and editorial direction.
Esta lives with her wife, Sara, and their rescue dog, Maico. They spend most weekends outdoors, hiking, skiing, biking, or swimming.
Shooting video in Jackman, Maine at a maple syrup farm.
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Software
ProTools
Adobe Audition
Hindenburg
Premiere Pro
After Effects
Photoshop
Illustrator
Indesign
AVID
iNews
Word
Powerpoint
Excel
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Creative Bucket List
Podcast series
Report in all 7 continents
Fiction audio story
Experimental short film
Write a book
Feature-length documentary film
Flash mob performance
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Daily Joys
Biking
Hiking
Artichokes
Park dwelling
Playing basketball with my wife
Dancing to funky music
Talking really fast after my morning coffee
Snuggling my dog
Reading
Pretending I can sing
Wandering in new neighborhoods
Decorating spaces
Driving with the windows down
Eating new food
Skinny dipping in WI and ME lakes
Talking until sunrise