Aileen Silverstone began researching at an early age, investigating animal welfare cases for her mother’s humane society under the dubious self-ascribed alias, “Ellen McKelly.” It sparked a lifelong interest in digging for information that eventually led to a career in documentary film.

Born and raised in rural Ohio, Aileen studied fiction writing with the novelist Richard Price as an undergraduate, and received a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Boston University. She spent eight years at WGBH Public Television in Boston working on a variety of programs, including Eisenhower for The American Experience series and Driving Passion, a four-hour film on the social history of the automobile. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked as a researcher on projects for President Bill Clinton, Steven Spielberg, composer John Williams, National Public Radio, MTV and Vh1, War Letters, and The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing.