"I love Southport," said Cody Mitchell sitting in his station manager’s chair at Boothbay Region Community Television (BRTV).

Mitchell recalled spending his summers rambling about Cozy Harbor and getting ice cream at E.W. Pratt General Merchandise store, better known as “ the Alley.”

The son of Edwin and Lori Mitchell, he attended Southport Central School for grades 1-6. The transition to middle school in Boothbay Harbor took him away from the comfortable intimacy of growing up on Southport.

“It was not smooth. It was a different world,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell has always considered himself as a self-learner and somewhat of an introvert. After two years at Boothbay Region High School, he transferred to Hyde School in Bath, where he led the cross-country team.

His high school experience confirmed, organized education was not for him. “I am self-educated. College did not make sense for me."

Always interested in film and technology, Mitchell often visited the BRTV studio. “I would come and tinker. I was into the mechanical part of film."

After high school, Mitchell moved to Chicago with the hopes of getting involved in broadcast television.  He worked at a national electronics chain but was disgusted by the way sales people manipulated customers into buying expensive merchandise or paying for costly repairs when a simple fix would suffice.

“I was fired,” said Mitchell.

Now 23, Mitchell said his approach to education has brought him to proficiency in three of his areas of interest.

As station manager at BRTV, he has guided the reconstruction and modernization of the studio space. He conducts regular classes for young people in the art of film-making and video production.

“I am telling them that teamwork is big,” he said.

He is also learning beer-making at the Boothbay Craft Brewery owned by his parents. He has taken on the website design and some of the marketing for the company. In addition, he has been doing independent contract film work, including documenting sea trials for the Washburn & Doughty Shipyard.

Mitchell does not see his current successes as his ultimate career.

As far as the television studio, he hopes to see broader community involvement. “I can't be here forever. Ultimately, I want to be into film and broadcast media. It is exciting. It is doing what I love."

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Are you between the ages of 20 and 30 and someone who grew up in the Boothbay region, moved away, and have returned to the region to make a living? If so, we would like to include your story in this mini series. Email kevinburnham@boothbayregister.com to set up an interview.