The Documentary Group produces work based on a very simple principle: have faith in the intelligence, taste, curiosity and integrity of the audience. TDG was founded in 2006 by the core members of PJ Productions, following the death of legendary broadcaster Peter Jennings. The producers and directors, who were for many years the team behind Jennings’ documentaries at ABC News, are dedicated to continuing the tradition of smart, important and innovative film-making. Their credits as individual producers and directors include hundreds of hours of network programming, independent feature documentaries, and original educational films.
TelevisionAs a group, the producers and directors of
TDG have produced work for every major commercial network, as well as public television, and cable. We have a well-established and on-going connection with ABC News and strong relationships with its counterparts. As the television universe expands, there is both more need and more room than ever for well-crafted and intelligent documentary film-making.
In its first year,
TDG produced two groundbreaking programs:
To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports for ABC News, which chronicled the newscaster’s recovery from near-fatal injury to then report on the widespread incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury among American troops and the failure of the veterans system to adequately prepare for it;
Operation Homecoming, which explores the first hand accounts of soldiers in Iraq and is part of the “America at a Crossroads” series for PBS.
Feature DocumentariesThe feature documentary market has been fundamentally redefined over the past few years, as exemplified by the burgeoning number of documentaries screened at film festivals and shown in commercial theaters across the country. And the market continues to grow.
TDG believes the range of subjects that lend themselves to the form is vast, that documentaries can be smart, creative, entertaining and compete successfully with traditional movies.
In its first year,
TDG has released a theatrical version of
Operation Homecoming, which is in playing in theaters around the country. STEEP, a film about the risk and exhilaration of big mountain skiing, debuts at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Educational FilmsTDG has a unit devoted to crafting original films for the educational market. The first major venture,
The Constitution Project, is a series of inventive programs designed to educate high school students about the U.S. Constitution and explore the concepts that continue to shape our country. It was commissioned by The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.
Limited DistributionThese documentaries, not necessarily intended for broadcast or theatrical release, are funded by groups with a specific interest or purpose: a foundation seeking to raise awareness, a non-profit organization that needs a well produced fundraising tool, or a theatrical fiction film that needs a top-notch documentary for inclusion in a DVD release.
