PABLO, MT — When Robert McDonald picked up a camera at Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes headquarters in Pablo, he didn't just start filming. He connected viewers to tribal experiences through his visual storytelling series "Walks with CSKT."
The series dives into CSKT staff explaining everything from tribal research to their roles in how the tribe operates. The response has been an instant connection with audiences.
"It reminded me I take for granted all the amazing stories I get to hear everyday at work, and wish I could share that part of us that they don't get to see," McDonald said.
Fifteen years in print journalism taught McDonald the power of storytelling. Now he's using video to open doors most media never get to walk through.
"I've covered many tribal nations and there was always a disconnect between the tribes and newspapers and I've always tried to be a bridge and a translator," McDonald said.
"The technology and grabbing this guy (grabs camera) it just opened up so many doors," McDonald said.
McDonald doesn't work alone. He partners with CSKT multimedia specialist Katz Yelsa, who brings a film background to the project. McDonald calls Yelsa "the secret sauce" behind the series.
"Rob shoots all the footage about 20 minutes and than I get it and pair it down to 3 and half to four," Yelsa said.
But neither expected the response they received from social media.
"The first one just had a huge about of success, 100 shares and 15,000 to 16,000 views now and it's not like those are wild numbers but at the time with a page with only 500 followers it was pretty phenomenal," Yelsa said.
The numbers don't lie — the series is a hit. Posted on Facebook and YouTube, McDonald's message is simple: behind every tribal operation are real people living real lives.
"Just understand we are real people who are doing the best job we can, and none of us are perfect, we do our best and when that is understood it seems to be a special sauce that makes things better," McDonald said.
You can watch the series here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
