In the first episode of Let’s Talk Miami, FIU student Daniela Thoelke interviews Miami film producer David Cypkin, who has created documentaries about Miami culture for decades. The documentaries can sometimes be controversial and told with a skill that leaves you wanting more.
Cypkin works side by side on storytelling with Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman, owners of movie production company Rakontur. The name is derived from the word raconteur, one who tells stories with skill. He explains how to interview someone in vulnerable stages of life and gain their trust to tell a story. Cypkin explains a strategy of “say it and show it” when putting a documentary together piece by piece.
Daniela Zulueta is pursuing her master’s degree in global strategic communications and graduated from FIU with a bachelor’s degree in digital broadcasting in 2023. She also holds an associate’s degree in journalism from Miami Dade College. Zulueta loves the city of Miami and aims to share the stories of the citizens who live here and all over the world. Zulueta runs a social media platform called @Lifestyle_Miami where she works with local businesses and does community-based work. She had a paid internship with Televisa Univisión as a Step Producer and worked as a stage manager at NBC6 South Florida & Telemundo51. Now, she is part of cohort 8 and has a fellowship at the FIU Ratcliffe where she can work on branding herself and post-production of a podcast called Tech Conversations.
