Angelina Shi

Interactive media producer

PBS Wisconsin

Age: 27

In three words: Curious, creative, focused

What colleagues say: Angelina Shi is pioneering innovative digital experiences at PBS Wisconsin. In just two years, she has led groundbreaking projects, including an acclaimed virtual tour of Door County’s Cana Lighthouse and a culturally immersive game on a Menominee pow-wow. Angelina’s creativity, research depth and relationship-building set new standards for engagement and considerations of accessibility.

I was particularly impressed by “Illuminating Cana Island,” a virtual tour of a historic lighthouse in northeastern Wisconsin. Her expertise in game design, architecture, and storytelling was key to shaping the project’s aesthetic, functionality and narrative. Her work is actively shaping the future of PBS Wisconsin’s digital presence, ensuring we continue to engage audiences in innovative and meaningful ways.

What Angelina says:

Decision to work in public media: My personal relationship with PBS goes back to childhood. When my family immigrated to America, I didn’t speak any English. Within a few years, I had learned enough English to move out of ESL classes, thanks in large part to watching PBS Kids shows. However, as someone without a journalism background, I never considered public media as a potential professional opportunity until I received an email about a job opening at PBS Wisconsin. Once I learned about all the cool interactive work that they were doing, I knew that I had to be involved.

Key accomplishments: As an interactive media producer, I’m able to push the boundaries of the content we make at PBS Wisconsin. For example, the interactive webpage “Wisconsin Lighthouses: Illuminating Cana Island” was our first scrollytelling project. Our interactive projects always keep me on my feet by incorporating different technologies — from 3-D scanning to game engines.

Inspired by: I love games — anything from tabletop role-playing games to video games!

Advice for young public media professionals: Don’t be afraid to speak up. When you’re just starting your career, it’s easy to feel intimidated by all the seemingly more experienced people around you. Remember that you also have a unique and valuable perspective to offer.

Advice for public media leaders: Don’t hesitate to try new things, even if they might not succeed. Sometimes new things don’t work out, and that’s fine. There’s still a lot to be learned from failure.

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