It was standing-room-only at the East Village premiere that I attended for The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. The Q&A that followed resembled a celebrity speaking tour: the star in the spotlight was the sparkling 87-year old, Anne Innis Dagg. This Canadian feature combines several of my favorite genres: Archive-based History Wildlife Science Plus a bit …
A SHOT TO SAVE THE WORLD is a special about Jonas Salk’s race to defeat the dreaded polio virus. It captures how strong, unifying leadership and Science-based government can overcome a terrible global epidemic. I became committed as an Executive Producer. Bill Gates kindly agreed to serve as the narrator of our film, and his foundation supported …
The 2020 PGA Awards broadcast the industry’s acceptance of the booming documentary category as a peer with even the most popular, binge-worthy scripted series. There was a surprise winner in the PGA’s prestigious Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures category It was 1895 Films for Apollo: Missions to the Moon. APOLLO’s competitors were four …
A new publication packed with original research from Peter Hamilton and DocumentaryBusiness.com: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION ROADMAP: 34 CASE STUDIES From Concept & Development to Production & Distribution Contents Complete set of 34 detailed Case Studies of award-winning projects 200+ pages of original research Projects in U.S., Australia, UK, Germany, Japan, France, Scandinavia and more. Compelling Takeaways …
The Nyoongar Stadium Documentary project is an inspiring story of how new digital screens, multi-platform distribution and an imaginative approach to outreach combined to create a well-funded documentary format. The Challenge: Perth’s state-of-the-art football stadium was being built on a traditionally significant meeting ground of the Aboriginal first nation Nyoongar people. How could West Australia’s …
Ben Simmons is an NBA All-star with a US$170 million contract. He sent a message to the Sports and Documentary worlds by signing on as an executive producer of THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM. Passion Pictures‘ feature documentary captures the struggle of Aboriginal professional footballer Adam Goodes. Goodes was driven from the local game by unrelenting racial …
THE SIEGE OF MECCA is a compelling investigation into a violent event that has shaped recent history, but that is still wrapped in secrecy in France, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and elsewhere. This Sunny Side of the Doc / DocumentaryBusiness.com Case Study reveals a 5-year commitment to a German/French copro with a €620,000+ budget. THE STORY …
Producers are on the receiving end of another rate card reduction from Amazon Prime Video Direct. The online retail behemoth is cutting U.S. royalties from the present range of 6 to 15 cents per-hour-viewed. The new rate is between 4 and 10 cents per-hour-viewed. A similar 33% rate reduction is being introduced in UK, Germany …