Role
Co-Producer, Co-Editor
Breakdown
I helped craft an award-winning documentary feature about a truly unique American.
Production company Sound & Vision approached me with a situation they were in: They were six months into post on a fascinating biographical doc feature. It wasn’t entirely taking shape and they needed to get something submitted to festivals in two short months. Would I be able to come on board and help bring this film home?
The film profiled Daryl Davis, an African American pianist who spent his free time befriending klansmen and other white supremacists. It was a fascinating film with a lot of elements already there. I came on as co-producer and -editor and helped shape it into a solid festival cut.
We were excited at the news our film had been selected by South By Southwest, but I had a strong feeling we needed to round out the film with a few more interviews to make this film truly work. I found Michael Wood, Jr, a former Baltimore police officer and anti-corruption advocate who would make the perfect conversation partner for Daryl, and the team flew out to Baltimore for the sit-down.
The conversation between Wood and Davis was enlightening as expected, but Wood had also brought two Black Lives Matter activists with him, and the ensuing conversation between two generations of black Americans became an intense, gripping, and unexpectedly heated affair.
I spent the ensuing month carefully editing their discussion into a digestible and comprehensive scene, and the extra trip to Baltimore quickly became the climactic centerpiece of the film.
Accidental Courtesy went on to win a special jury prize at South By Southwest and air on PBS’s Independent Lens and Netflix. In its small way, Accidental Courtesy entered into the national conversation at a pivotal time and I’m especially grateful to have worked with director Matt Ornstein to elevate a good project into one that reached further.
Awards and Recognition
- Special Jury Award, South By Southwest Film Festival
- Aired on PBS' Independent Lens
Accidental Courtesy Festival Trailer
Accidental Courtesy is now available on Amazon Prime
Role
Co-Producer, Editor
Breakdown
Synopsis
Americans across the country reacted very differently to the unprecedented, norm-shattering days and nights of the Trump administration. While some saw it as a breath of fresh air, others view it as something far more dangerous; something that could, in fact, cause permanent damage to our democracy. One of these people in the second group is Washington insider and lifelong Republican David Frum. We follow as he attempts to both reconcile what has happened to his party and figure out where we as a country go from here.
Featuring
David Frum, Dan Rather, Fareed Zakaria, Anne Applebaum, Marc Cuban, Sam Quinones, Julia Ioffe, Lawrence O'Donnell, and others.