From feature-length documentaries to university classrooms, Asbury Graduate Studies alumna Shelby Kimpel ’25 is using storytelling to inspire hope and equip the next generation of filmmakers
When Shelby Kimpel ’25 enrolled in Asbury University’s Master of Fine Arts in Film & TV Production program, she arrived with a lifelong dream of creating documentaries. She graduated with far more than technical skills. She left with a deeper understanding of how meaningful storytelling can reflect truth, inspire hope and change lives.
Today, Kimpel serves as a film director, editor, and adjunct professor at Houston Christian University where she teaches Design & Film. She continues to produce documentaries and media projects for clients across the country.
Making documentaries has been a dream of mine since I was in fifth grade. I truly believe God's given every person a unique story, and He's equipped me with the gifts to help tell these stories."
Her journey began with a simple Digital Blue camcorder in elementary school, where she eagerly filmed school events and discovered a love for visual storytelling. That passion eventually led her to Asbury, where courses such as Master Storytelling Seminar, Deconstructing Documentary and advanced editing classes reshaped how she approached every project.
One assignment in Deconstructing Documentary proved especially transformative. By transcribing interviews into a written narrative before filming, Kimpel learned to identify the emotional arc of a story before capturing a single frame.
“The written story came to life before we even put an image to it,” she said. “That completely changed how I think about documentary filmmaking.”
Asbury's MFA program equips students with both professional filmmaking skills and a Christ-centered understanding of storytelling that prepares them to lead across the film and media industries.
Kimpel also discovered a passion for directing during her graduate studies. She found unexpected connections between leading film productions and serving alongside her husband in ministry, recognizing that both roles begin with listening well and caring deeply about people’s stories.
Her capstone project became a defining milestone. Kimpel expanded the project into a feature-length documentary chronicling the testimony of two-time World Series player Scott Spezio. The film is currently pursuing theatrical and streaming distribution. Learn More about the Documentary.
Now, Kimpel invests in aspiring creatives as an adjunct professor while maintaining an active freelance career producing, directing and editing projects ranging from documentaries and live sports broadcasts to branding campaigns and digital content. Her professional experience includes work with ESPN+, Space City Home Network, the Busby family’s It’s a Buzz World YouTube channel and numerous nonprofit and corporate organizations.
Seeing her professors invest personally in students also shaped Kimpel’s future.
“I’ll never forget the way Dr. Jim Owens, Don Mink and Professor Sarah Hogencamp poured into us,” she said. “That moment made me want to become that kind of professor someday. Now I get to invest in students the way my Asbury professors invested in me.”
As she continues creating documentaries and mentoring future filmmakers, Kimpel remains focused on the calling that first inspired her years ago.
“I feel more clearly called than ever to tell stories that bring hope and to invest in others who will do the same,” she said.
Asbury University Graduate Studies equips students to grow professionally while deepening their faith through rigorous, Christ-centered graduate education. Within the School of Communication Arts, graduate students can pursue the M.A. in Communication, M.A. in Digital Storytelling, M.A. in Instructional Design, Innovation & Leadership, MFA in Film/TV Production and MFA in Screenwriting.