Ep. 274 I I Didn't Know Myself - Erik & Chris Ewers on Ken Burns, PBS & Thoreau

Episode 274 • 26th March 2026 • Documentary First • Documentary First | Christian Taylor

He's edited nearly every Ken Burns film ever made. But he couldn't edit himself.

What does it take to build a filmmaking career inside Ken Burns's world — and what happens when the hardest part isn't the craft, but learning who you are?

Erik and Christopher Ewers are brothers who co-direct for PBS under the Ken Burns banner. Erik has been Burns's senior editor for 33+ years. Chris is a DP who's shot for Apple, Coca-Cola, and Tiffany & Co. Their latest project: Henry David Thoreau, a three-part PBS documentary series executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley, narrated by George Clooney, with Jeff Goldblum voicing Thoreau, Ted Danson as Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Meryl Streep. Henry David Thoreau premieres on PBS March 30. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

In Part 1, you'll learn:

— How Erik ended up working for Ken Burns through a real estate deal involving window treatments and carpets

— How a 22-minute visitors center film became the doorway to a three-hour PBS series

— What it's really like to co-direct a documentary with your brother (even Ken Burns couldn't do it with his)

— How Chris balances high-end commercial work with documentary filmmaking to sustain a creative career

— The challenge of filming Walden Pond with only two usable photographs of Thoreau

— Why knowing yourself is the most important skill a filmmaker can develop — and Erik's deeply personal story about discovering that through his own film

Part 2 drops April 9 — covering PBS funding realities, AI and the industry, and how they landed Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney, and Meryl Streep.

This episode is supported by Virgil Films Entertainment.

About the Guests:

Erik Ewers — Director, Editor. Ken Burns's senior editor for 33+ years. Multiple Emmy winner. ACE Eddie Award winner (The Roosevelts, 2015). Based in New Hampshire.

Christopher Loren Ewers — Director, DP. 20+ years behind the camera. Commercial clients include Apple, Coca-Cola, Tiffany & Co., Stella Artois, Volvo. Based in the NYC metro area.

About Henry David Thoreau (PBS):

A three-part, three-hour documentary — the first full-length documentary biography of Thoreau. Executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley. Narrated by George Clooney. Voices by Jeff Goldblum (Thoreau), Ted Danson (Ralph Waldo Emerson), Meryl Streep, and Tate Donovan. Henry David Thoreau premieres on PBS March 30. Available on PBS and wherever you stream PBS content.

Christopher Ewers Commerical Work

Henry David Throeau Series Trailer