Woodrow A. Wickham, 1942-2009
It is with deep sadness that we mark the passing of Woody Wickham, a man who played a deep and crucial role in POV’s success for many years.
As a vice president at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Woody was an advocate for public media and independent documentary film. In that role, he provided early and consistent support for POV and other iconic series and films such as PBS’s Frontline and the landmark documentary film Hoop Dreams.
Woody believed that independent filmmakers were in a special position and had a particular responsibility to shine a light on the issues of the day and to engage audiences with the power of storytelling. He helped us see beyond the broadcast, and that it was essential to actively engage communities to give films a long life and an exponentially greater impact. The great flourishing of documentary film over the past 20 years is due in no small part to the impact of Woody’s work.
POV and independent documentary filmmakers have had no greater friend and champion. He’ll be sorely missed.
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Simon served as chief operating officer of American Documentary for six years before assuming the role of executive director in Fall 2006. Since joining AmDoc in 1999, he has played a key role in helping to set strategic direction for the organization and implementing new initiatives, including the Diverse Voices Project, POV's co-production initiative in support of emerging filmmakers; POV's Borders, PBS' Webby Award-winning online series; and True Lives, a second-run series for independent documentaries on public television. In addition, he worked to secure pioneering partnerships with both Netflix and Docurama to expand the distribution opportunities for POV filmmakers and enhance branding for POV Previously, Simon was associate director at Teachers & Writers Collaborative, a nonprofit literary arts and education organization and publisher, where he is now a member of the board of directors. He has also served as a board member and treasurer for Elders Share the Arts and East Harlem Block Schools, and as an informal advisor and funding panel member for other organizations including the New York City Center for Arts Education, the Association for Independent Video and Filmmakers and New York State Council on the Arts. Simon attended the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Columbia University Business School's Institute for Not-for-Profit Management.