Tom Jennings (filmmaker)
Tom Jennings (born August 7, 1961) is an American writer, director, and producer of documentaries, and former investigative journalist.[1] He is known for "Call 911" (2008), "MLK: The Assassination Tapes" (2012), "The Fidel Castro Tapes" (2014), and "Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes" (2016).[2][3]
Early life[edit]
Tom Jennings was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Cathedral Latin High School in 1979. He went on to attend Kent State University, graduating in 1983.
Career[edit]
Jennings began his career as a journalist at the Akron Beacon Journal while still in college. In 1988, he moved to Los Angeles where he wrote for the "Los Angeles Daily News." Between 1988 and 1996, he wrote for many newspapers including the "Santa Monica Evening Outlook", the "New York Times", and the "Los Angeles Times." As a journalist, Jennings received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for Investigative Reporting for covering a case about fraud in the California State Disability Insurance office.[4]
After became disillusioned with journalism after covering the OJ Simpson trial for the "Santa Monica Evening Outlook," Jennings got his first TV writing job on a Discovery Channel show called "Rivals."[5]
In 2010, Jennings founded the production company 1895 Films. In 2012, 1895 Films won a Peabody Award for its program "MLK: The Assassination Tapes," which aired on the Smithsonian Channel.[6]
In 2014, he travelled to Cuba to research a documentary on Fidel Castro. While there, he was introduced to one of Castro’s personal photographers, Roberto Salas. Salas provided Jennings with many unpublished photos of Castro, which Jennings then included in the documentary "The Fidel Castro Tapes," which aired on PBS. "The Fidel Castro Tapes" received a News and Documentary Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Research category.
Jennings is a member of the Directors Guild of America.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Jennings is married to producer Ellen Farmer. He resides in Malibu, California.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Show Title | Network | Notes | Awards and Nominations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Apollo: Missions to the Moon | National Geographic | 2-hour special | |
| 2019-present | In Their Own Words | National Geographic | Ongoing Series | |
| 2017-2019 | Log Cabin Fever | Great American Country | 18-episode series | |
| 2017 | Diana: In Her Own Words | National Geographic | 2-hour special | Grand Award, 2019 New York Festivals[8]Award of Excellence: Special Mention, 2018 Impact Docs Awards[9]
Shortlist, 2018 Grierson Trust Awards: Best Historical Documentary Finalist, 2018 CINE Awards |
| 2016-2018 | The Lost Tapes | Smithsonian | 10-episode series | Winner, 2017 CINE Awards, The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor[10]Gold Medal, 2017 New York Festivals, The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor[10]
Nominated, 2017 Black Reel Awards, The Lost Tapes: LA Riots |
| 2017 | Dead Man Talking | Reelz | 1-hour special | |
| 2017 | History Retold | Smithsonian Canada | 3-episode series | |
| 2016 | Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes | National Geographic | 1-hour special | Winner, 2017 News and Documentary Emmy[11]Gold Medal, 2017 New York Festivals[12]
Nominated, 2017 Royal Television Society Awards Nominated, 2017 Realscreen Awards |
| 2016 | A-Bombs Over Nevada | Smithsonian | 1-hour special | Gold Medal, 2017 New York Festivals[13] |
| 2016 | Overkill | Reelz | 1-hour special | |
| 2015 | O.J. Speaks | A&E | 2-hour special | |
| 2014 | The Fidel Castro Tapes | PBS/National Geographic | 1-hour special | Nominated, 2015 News and Documentary Emmy |
| 2013 | Heist | 3net Discovery | 3-hour series | |
| 2012 | 9/11: The Heartland Tapes | 3net Discovery | 1-hour special | |
| 2012 | American West in 3D | 3net Discovery | 1-hour special | |
| 2012 | Age of Industry in 3D | Smithsonian | 1-hour special | |
| 2012 | Sky Soldier: Vietnam in 3D | MSNBC | 1-hour special | Winner, Best 3D television program, Intl. 3D Society |
| 2012 | MLK: The Assassination Tapes | Smithsonian | 1-hour special | Winner, 2013 Peabody Award[14]Winner, Impact Media Awards Best Historical Documentary[15]
Winner, Impact Media Awards Best Use of Archival Footage[15] Winner, 2012 Three Silver Telly Awards Nominated, 2013 New and Documentary Emmy Awards, Best Research |
| 2012 | Ted Bundy Death Row Tapes | MSNBC | 1-hour special | |
| 2012 | Defending Casey Anthony | MSNBC | 1-hour special | |
| 2012 | The I-5 Strangler | MSNBC | 1-hour special | |
| 2011 | Taking Down the Mob | National Geographic | Explorer | Finalist, New York Festivals 2012
Winner, Two Silver and Three Bronze Telly Awards |
| 2011 | The Conspirator | National Geographic | 2-hour special | Finalist, New York Festivals 2012 |
| 2009-2010 | Call 911 | ID | 60-episode series | Winner, Six Silver Telly Awards, 2009
Winner, One Silver Telly Award, 2010 |
| 2009-2010 | True Crime | ID | 13-episode series | |
| 2009 | The Lost JFK Tapes | National Geographic | 2-hour special | Nominated, 2010 News and Documentary Emmys
Winner, Silver and Bronze Telly Awards |
| 2006 | 20,000 Miles on a Horse | Festival Entry | 2-hour feature doc | Winner, Telly Award, general excellence, 2007
Winner, Gold Kahuna Award, Honolulu International Festival, 2010[16] |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Westdoc gives boost to documentary filmmakers". Los Angeles Times. 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (2008-07-30). "'Call 911' on Investigation Discovery: Helpful Dos and Don'ts for Code Red Occasions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Fidel Castro, with and without the beard - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Fidel Castro reexamined by local documentary filmmakers". Easy Reader News. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "Fidel Castro reexamined by local documentary filmmakers". Easy Reader News. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "George Foster Peabody Award Winners Book". www.peabodyawards.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ "The Guild / Members | DGA". www.dga.org. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ Diana: In Her Own Words - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
- ↑ "Impact Docs Awards (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
- ↑ "The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Announces Winners of the 38th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
- ↑ A-Bombs Over Nevada - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
- ↑ "MLK: The Assassination Tapes". www.peabodyawards.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 MLK: The Assassination Tapes - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
- ↑ 20,000 Miles on a Horse - IMDb, retrieved 2019-10-29
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