With all of the strife in the US, everyone is talking about how to see a story through different lenses. Listen in as Emmy winning film producer and director Jerald Harkness talks about the power of storytelling through the lens of the underdog.
Who is Jerald Harkness?
Studio Auteur is a content creation company specializing in documentaries. CEO Jerald Harkness has over 25 years of documentary production experience. Harkness has produced and directed for Paramount TV, UMC, ESPN, VH1, A&E, PBS and the NCAA. Notable awards include a national Emmy, Best Documentary for the International Academy of Web TV, a Webby nomination and various Festival selections and awards.
Harkness has been the producer of a number of independent and broadcast documentaries. He earned a national Emmy for his work on ESPN’s SportsCentury series. His first documentary “Steppin’” in 1992 won the National Educational Gold Apple Award, making it eligible for an Academy Award nomination. Steppin’ also won the 1994 Pan African People’s Choice Award. His second documentary “Facing the Façade” won the Indiana Film Festival’s Best Documentary and People’s Choice award. Jerald produced “The Game of Change” which was selected for the 2008 Heartland Film Festival.
Find Jerald @studioauteur on Instagram. Watch film trailers on Vimeo, via Studio Auteur or Jerald Harkness.
Key Takeaways
- There’s a discipline to being objective and telling stories from a view that is opposite from your own. That’s empathetic story telling.
- True Firsts Documentary: Two ways to tell a story–a network hires you and tells you what to do, OR you come up with a story and pitch it to get it funded and sold.
- Once you put the art out there, you never know how it will be perceived or age. Facing the Facade, about the experience of Black students at IU received less notice when it came out in 1994, and has recently had a renaissance. Likewise a film Election Effect from 2016 through the lens of a conservative Republican, may not play as well in 2020.
- Indiana University’s Union Board is an amazing student leadership organization at IU. Both Jerald and Deanna served as directors during their years at IU. They each attribute the projects and learnings from that time for jump starting their careers. This is an affirmation to current students to get involved in student organizations at college. It’s also a gratuitous shout out to the wonderful Winston Shindell, director of IMU during both of their tenures.
- If you see something special or potential in someone, tell them. Likewise, if someone says you can do this, believe them!
- If you can impact people for the moment you have their attention and hope it resonates with them.
Watch the Replay of the Jerald Harkness Interview Now
