Wisconsin Public Television: Wisconsin Stories: WWII Stories

Producer Mik Derks Producer Mik Derks interviews veteran.

Mik Derks
Producer

Producer Mik Derks interviews WWII veteran Milo Flaten.

Q&A

What have been the most rewarding aspects of making "Wisconsin World War II Stories"?
Every time we thanked the veterans for sharing their stories with us, they thanked us for being there to listen. When the war ended they had buried their memories safely away so they could get on with the rest of their lives. Then after 30 or 40 years, when they were able to talk about their experiences again, they felt like nobody was interested. It is an honor and a privilege to be in a position to pass their stories along to a public audience that is very interested indeed in what they have to say.

What themes have emerged in the interviews so far?
I have been repeatedly moved by the humility and humbleness of the veterans. None of them consider themselves heroes, insisting that there was a job to do and they were simply there to do their part. They told us the heroes were the ones who never returned to tell their stories. No matter how difficult their personal experiences may have been, they repeatedly observed that others had it worse.

How did you find the veterans to interview?
Our goal was to interview a cross-section of veterans who represented the two theaters of action (Europe and the Pacific), the various branches of the military (Army, Air Corps, Navy, Marines), different jobs within the branches (infantry, artillery, armor, bombers, fighters, destroyers, submarines, etc.), and all corners of the state of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum and WPT listening sessions around the state provided a good starting point, but once the word got out about the project, we were inundated with recommendations. Our challenge was no longer one of finding veterans with good stories, but of limiting ourselves to what the project could handle.

Biography

Mik has been telling stories in Wisconsin for 30 years. Before joining Wisconsin Public Television in 1995 to produce documentaries, he made the rounds of other communications media. He began his career in film (Poster/Derks Moving Pictures), then moved on to mime (Wisconsin Mime Company), radio (Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, Wisconsin Public Radio), print (Petersen's PhotoGraphic Magazine, Lens) and theater (American Players Theatre).

Along the way he has won awards from the Atlanta International Film Festival, C.I.N.E., the New York Industrial Film Festival, the Ohio State Awards, the Odyssey Institute Awards, CEN, and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

At WPT, Mik helped produce Sesquicentennial Wisconsin Stories, a five-part series for the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial. He also created the Sesquicentennial Minutes, a series of 52 minute-long vignettes.

He then helped create Wisconsin Stories, a weekly series of history programs produced in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society. He has produced and edited programs for each of these series, as well as other documentaries about Wisconsin history.

The father of two boys, Mik lives with his wife, Terry Kerr, in a 150-year-old house on a farm in the driftless region. When not producing television, Mik tends exotic chickens, Manx cats and black walnut trees.