A national nonprofit media arts organization, American Documentary (AmDoc) strives to make essential documentaries accessible as a catalyst for public discourse. We collaborate with passionate filmmakers to amplify their voices, and to nurture the nonfiction community.
POV (a cinema term for "point of view") is television's longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films. POV premieres 14–16 of the best, boldest, and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented over 400 films to public television audiences across the country. POV films are known for their intimacy, their unforgettable storytelling, and their timeliness, putting a human face on contemporary social issues.
Get an in-depth look at the results of our engagement work through these case studies of some of our past campaigns.
Impact highlights: 66% of students were compelled to take more responsibility for their education.
Impact highlights: 88% of participants reported that they are now considering trying or doing something different to impact youths.
We presented the film as arts programming during California's Labor Week initiative in partnership with the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles.
"It deepened my understanding of why vets have such a hard time coming home." -Audience Member, American Red Cross of West Michigan
America ReFramed is a year-round documentary series that illuminates the changing contours of our ever-evolving nation. A co-production with the WORLD Channel, the series launched in 2012 to respond to the growing need for intimate and diverse stories that are domestically based. Viewers are immersed in personal stories that span the spectrum of American life, and are invited to reflect on topics as varied as healthcare, politics, gun violence, religion, and more. America ReFramed has won GRACIE, Christopher, Telly, and Cine Golden Eagle Awards, and received nominations for an EMMY, Independent Documentary Association, and Imagen Awards.
POV Digital brings documentary to the digital public. We produce original interactive projects, reimagine documentaries for emerging platforms, and host Digital Labs where artists and technologists can experiment together. POV Digital's work has received numerous awards, including a News and Documentary Emmy, a Webby Award, the Online Journalism Award, and several W3 Awards.
We worked with the New York Times and three mediamakers to create interactive projects about race and ethnicity.
We produced the first-ever documentaries for Snapchat, working with award-winning filmmakers and reaching a new, younger audience.
Whiteness Project began as a prototype at POV Digital Lab and has grown into a multi-platform investigation of race, privilege and identity.
For over 20 years, POV has pioneered models for civic engagement using independent documentary films by some of the most acclaimed storytellers of our time. POV's Community Engagement and Education team partners with community-based organizations, educators, librarians, and other engaged community members to spark conversation about the issues presented in our films and digital productions. Free screenings, panel discussions and public events are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback, to educational opportunities and community participation.
The POV Community Network makes more than 90 POV feature films, shorts and digital initiatives available for free to over 10,000 local and national partners. Join the Network to discover films by title or topic, plus accompanying materials such as discussion guides, promotional tools and other resources to help shape the conversation and inspire action.
POV collaborates with media educators to produce lesson plans for teachers interested in using our films as a teaching tool. We offer free resources for educators, including 200+ online film clips connected to 100+ standards-aligned lesson plans, discussion guides and reading lists.
For the past three decades, American Documentary (AmDoc) has presented more than 500 nonfiction and interactive projects through its award-winning programs reaching millions of viewers around the country, for free. AmDoc believes in the power of documentary film to challenge, inform, and inspire viewers by presenting personal stories and perspectives different than their own.
AmDoc films have won: 37 Emmy® Awards
AmDoc films have won: 3 Academy Awards
AmDoc films have won: 20 George Foster Peabody Awards
AmDoc films have won: 12 DuPont Columbia Awards
MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions
The Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism (2016)
International Documentary Association Best Curated Series Award (2015)
International Documentary Association Best Continuing Series Award (2011)
National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Award for Corporate Commitment to Diversity (2011)
International Documentary Association Best Continuing Series Award (2009)
Industry Award from the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (2007)
Special Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking (2007)
Margaret Drain
Chair
Former VP of National Programming — WGBH
Michael Isip
Vice Chair
Executive VP & Chief Operating Officer, KQED
Henry P. Becton, Jr.
Treasurer
Vice Chair, WGBH — Boston WGBH Educational Foundation
John Bredar
Secretary
VP, National Programming WGBH — Boston
Jon Abbott
Director
President WGBH —Boston
John L. Boland
Director
President/CEO KQED
Anjali Kumar
Director
Chief People Officer & general counsel, Cheddar
John Limotte
Director
Founder and Executive creator director, Mustache
Chris Plaut
Director
Partner - Latham & Watkins, LLP
Stephen Segaller
Director
VP, Programming Thirteen/WNET — New York
Neal Shapiro
Director
President/CEO Thirteen/WNET — New York
Carolyn Strauss
Director
Production Executive, HBO
Joi Thomas
Director
Senior counsel of business and legal affairs, Universal Kids
Beth Viner
Director
General Manager - Kickstarter
Ann Tenenbaum
Emeritus
Civic Leader New York
Kristal Choy
VP, Finance & Business Affairs
Eliza Licht
VP, Content Strategy & Engagement, POV & American Documentary
Justine Nagan
Executive Director, AMDOC
Executive Producer, POV & America ReFramed
Opeyemi Olukemi
VP, Digital Production & Innovation
Chris White
Executive Producer, POV & America ReFramed
Mahboob Alam
Marketing Associate I Communications & Audience Development, POV
Ione Barrows
Community Engagement & Education Associate, POV
Courtney Brown
Program & Development Coordinator
Robert Y. Chang
Associate Producer, America ReFramed
Betty Cordero
Director Of Finance & Operations
Chloe Gbai
POV Shorts & Streaming Producer
Nikki Heyman
Coordinating Producer, POV
Erika Howard
Director Of Audience Engagement & Special Projects, POV
Yvonne Ashley Kouadjo
Associate Producer, POV Digital
John Macfarlane
Supervising Producer, POV Digital
David Nanasi
Consultant, Operations
Theresa Navarro
Program & Development Director
Isaac Park
Communications Associate, POV
Sunil Patel
Full-Stack Creative Technologist, POV Digital
Alice Quinlan
Community Engagement & Education Manager, POV
Keisha Salmon
Director, Audience Development & Communications, POV
Nicole Tsien
Associate Producer, POV
Carmen L. Vicencio
Series Producer, America ReFramed
