The Making of Tornado Chasers

In The Making of Tornado Chasers, filmmaker Ken Cole gives you a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the treacherous production of the documentary series Tornado Chasers, which follows Reed Timmer's chase team during the historic 2013 tornado season. Including behind-the-scenes anecdotes and first-hand accounts of the tragic events in Moore and El Reno, Oklahoma, Cole tells his personal story through a series of logs covering pre-production through the series premiere.


Ken Cole (author) is an award-winning filmmaker and seasoned storm chaser. Throughout his career Ken has documented over fifty tornadoes, often from close range. His projects have featured renowned weather personalities including Reed Timmer, Jim Cantore, and Ginger Zee. Ken studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, and later pursued documentary filmmaking as part of his graduate work. In 2006 he directed the PBS documentary Tornado Glory, his first work featuring Reed Timmer and Joel Taylor. Ken then contributed to the Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers series, and went on to direct the award-winning short film Heaven’s Rage. Most recently, Ken served as executive producer for Tornado Chasers - a groundbreaking documentary series and two-time Webby Award Honoree.


Reed Timmer (foreword) is well-known as the most successful and extreme storm chaser in the world, having intercepted over 500 tornadoes and a dozen powerful hurricanes during the last decade. Reed starred on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers, and is now featured in the documentary series Tornado Chasers. Reed has constructed three armored vehicles, called "The Dominator" fleet, to withstand the powerful forces of a tornado. He also the author of Into The Storm, covering his early career in storm chasing.