About Ami eckard-lee
I'm the luckiest girl in the world!
In my career, I've been lucky to dive into many of my favorite areas.
As a writer, I contribute regular articles in publications, including EAA's Vintage Magazine, Midwest Flyer, and Forward in Flight. As a filmmaker, I explore creativity in music videos, narrative films, and personal projects. As a stage performer, I bring music, dance, and stories to life with vaudeville-style energy focusing on vintage styling and accuracy with my band The Zippity Do Das. As a TV host, I strive to connect with my audience regardless of age, experience level, or background, bringing joy and curiosity to education and science. As a museum creative director, I am honored to help protect, preserve, and present history - with all its stories, tangents, and messiness - in both creative and practical ways, bringing aviation and STEAM to a wider audience through video projects, hands-on displays, and outreach. As a museum consultant, I help museums of all kinds find their focus, think outside the box, and joyfully bring their missions to life.
The Facts:
• Independently educated, focusing on environmentalism, music, and literature
• Certified Professional Coach, UW-Madison
• Licensed sport pilot with tailwheel endorsement and a focus on antique aviation
• Comedy performer, Coney Island Clown Skool
• Commissioned filmmaker for the International Buster Keaton Society
• Editor, "The Compleat Beau Geste" Frank Thompson, 2023
Hi! I'm Ami (it's pronounced like amigo without go), and I'm so glad you're here!
I'm from southern Wisconsin, where I grew up in a straw-clay passive solar home with my parents and four siblings. My childhood was filled with animals (I raised escape-artist goats, a pony, and kittens), traveling (favorite: a 7 week road trip to the Everglades), music, and the knowledge that the sky was my only limit.
Fast forward to 2025, and that literally proved to be true when I got my pilot's license in a 1931 Curtiss Junior pusher airplane. I'm pretty sure I'm the first and only person to conduct 100% of my training and my checkride in this aircraft since before WWII. Obviously, history is important to me!
My latest adventure is hosting Field Notes on Climate, a new show for PBS Wisconsin Education!
I am the Creative Director at the Kelch Aviation Museum in Brodhead, WI., where I also host and edit an educational video series about aviation history. I am available for TV and film performance, museum consulting, and historical research. I'd love to collaborate with you - reach out any time!
In my free time, you can find me performing with my vintage vaudeville band, The Zippity Do Das, trying to learn new languages, traveling, flying, hanging out with my family, and doting on my cat Fika.
