Downloads: Press Release

New York, New York – Aug. 11, 2015 – Justine Nagan has been named executive director of American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) and executive producer of POV (Point of View), its award-winning documentary series on PBS, the AmDoc board of directors announced today. Nagan, who will begin the job part-time in late September, joins AmDoc | POV from Kartemquin Films in Chicago, where she has been executive director and an executive producer since 2008, and served on staff for over a decade. She will relocate to New York with her family in December.

In her new position, Nagan will oversee all aspects of AmDoc | POV’s programs and operations, including production and programming, community engagement and education, POV Digital, development, business affairs, communications and overall management of the POV series. She will also serve as executive producer of America ReFramed, a year-round showcase of independent documentaries featuring contemporary American stories that airs on the WORLD Channel.

Nagan succeeds Simon Kilmurry, who recently joined the International Documentary Association as executive director after 16 years with AmDoc | POV. Chris White is executive producer of POV and America ReFramed (with Chris Hastings); Eliza Licht is vice president of content strategy for POV.

“I am simply delighted that Justine Nagan will be joining AmDoc | POV as executive director/executive producer,” said AmDoc Board Chair Tammy Robinson. “Justine brings a wide breadth of experience in management, fundraising and working closely with the independent film community to her new position. She leaves the award-winning nonprofit production company Kartemquin Films in terrific shape. The AmDoc board of directors is confident that Justine and the excellent POV staff will meet the challenges ahead and lead the organization to even greater success.”

“It’s a pivotal time for independent media and documentary in our culture,” said Nagan. “People are increasingly seeking authentic voices and quality storytelling to engage and inform them about the issues of our time. AmDoc | POV represents a trusted bridge between those hungry audiences and the stories they need. I am thrilled to be joining the great team at AmDoc | POV to help lead one of America’s premier media organizations into its next chapter. My time at Kartemquin Films has continuously fed my passion for documentary and well-prepared me for the responsibilities that lie ahead. I am sad to leave them on the eve of their 50th anniversary celebrations in 2016, but I am confident the organization is in an incredibly strong position to continue its role as a leader in independent documentary production.”

Justine Nagan
Justine Nagan. Photo: Aaron Wickenden

In her current position at Kartemquin Films, Nagan is responsible for managing day-to-day operations and building a foundation for sustainability and continued excellence. Under her leadership, the organization has significantly expanded its programs to assist documentary filmmakers, and seen unprecedented levels of production and financial growth. With Kartemquin, she directed Typeface, an award-winning film on American typography, and the short Sacred Transformations, which premiered at the 2011 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. She has been an executive producer on the 2015 Producers Guild of America Best Documentary Award-winner Life Itself, the Emmy Award®-winning The Interrupters (broadcast on PBS FRONTLINE), 2015 Emmy Best Documentary nominee The Trials of Muhammad Ali (PBS Independent Lens) and current releases Almost There, Saving Mes Aynak, On Beauty and In the Game. Prior to 2008, she was Kartemquin’s director of communications and distribution and associate producer of the Peabody Award-winning Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita (PBS Independent Lens). Previously, she worked at the Chicago International Film Festival and Wisconsin Public Television.

Nagan is a member of the second class of The Chief Executive Program at National Arts Strategies. She was a Harvard Business School Club of Chicago fellow in the 2013 Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management course at Harvard and was selected to join the Leadership Greater Chicago 2012 class of fellows. She has served on many festival juries and selection committees and is currently on the Midwest Independent Film Festival’s advisory board, the founding Good Pitch Chicago board and the Chicago Cultural Tourism Commission. She has a master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nagan and her husband, Matt, have two children.

AmDoc | POV is the recipient of a 2013 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. POV, now in its 28th season on PBS, is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series and the winner of every major film and broadcasting award. The current POV season, which began on June 22, 2015, features such acclaimed films as Talal Derki’s Return to Homs, winner of the first George Polk Documentary Film Award, and two-time Oscar® nominee Marshall Curry’s Point and Shoot, winner of the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. The season concludes on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, with a special broadcast of Andreas Johnsen’s Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case.

About American Documentary, Inc. (www.amdoc.org)

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. The series airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on PBS from June to September, with primetime specials during the year. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.

POV films have won 32 Emmy® Awards, 18 George Foster Peabody Awards, 12 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards®, the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award and the Prix Italia. The POV series has been honored with a Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, two IDA Awards for Best Continuing Series and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Award for Corporate Commitment to Diversity. Visit www.pbs.org/pov.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from Wyncote Foundation, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, The Fledgling Fund, Marguerite Casey Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Ettinger Foundation, and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

Contacts:
POV Communications: communications@pov.org
POV online pressroom: www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom

Published by

POV Pressroom
Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.