Television / Film
Select credits and productions
Art Jew (in development)
Producer / Director
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A work-in-progress documentary feature investigating the life and legacy of Alfred Flechtheim, an influential gay Jewish art dealer in pre-war Germany. Flechtheim, called “the fizz in Berlin’s champagne,” boldly championed the greatest avant-garde artists of his generation, yet died in disgrace, persecuted as the (literal) face of “degenerate art.” His extraordinary story is revealed in part through the dramatization of letters, diaries and observations by Flechtheim and his contemporaries, and tracks the efforts of his surviving descendant, Michael Hulton, as he seeks to rehabilitate Flechtheim’s shattered reputation and restitute some of his looted artwork. I’ve been workshopping the theatrical elements of the project as a participant in the LABA BAY arts fellowship, focusing on the topic of Taboo.
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The Fillmore
An Episode of Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco Producer / Writer |
The Castro
An Episode of Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco Producer / Director / Writer |
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Growing up in San Francisco in the 1960s and 70s, my friends and I saw vast tracts of land in the center of the city lie vacant despite many attempts at "urban renewal." What we weren't taught was the deep history of San Francisco's premiere Japanese and African American communities in the Fillmore, nor the profound impact urban renewal would have on the fabric of many American cities. "The Fillmore" is a feature-length documentary I made for PBS that tells the poignant story of the rise and fall of what some people now look back on as "The Harlem of the West." DVD available for purchase. Clip courtesy KQED. More at Fillmore website |
When I created a series of documentaries for PBS about the history of San Francisco's distinct neighborhoods, I knew that "The Castro" would tell an epic story: how a working-class neighborhood of Irish families became, in the space of a few years, an international symbol of gay liberation. We had to struggle at first to get it a full national broadcast, but the feature-length film has stood the test of time as a powerful and moving chapter of American history. "The Castro" won a Peabody Award. DVD available for purchase. Clip courtesy KQED. More at Castro website |
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Moving San Francisco
Hosted by Gary Kamiya Co-Director / Producer / Writer 
From its unique cable cars that conquered impossible hills to the current wave of ride-sharing companies and autonomous vehicles, San Francisco has been a constant laboratory for how to move people through an urban landscape. Our team from Jim Yager Media worked before and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to create this eye-opening look at the extraordinary past and challenging future of the region's transit. Airing 2021-22 on PBS stations. Watch the trailer, and explore more about the film here. Listen to an episode of KQED radio's "Forum" talk show about the program here.
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Jacques Pépin
American Masters - Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft; Today's Gourmet; Cooking with Claudine; Jacques Pépin's Kitchen; Jacques Pépin's Cooking Techniques Producer / Executive Producer / Director 
Now considered classics of the genre, Jacques Pépin's public television cooking series Today's Gourmet began production in 1990 at KQED, where I was Jacques' first producer. That began our long and memorable collaboration: I had the pleasure of working closely with Jacques on six more seasons of culinary programs and specials, for which we received three James Beard Awards. Two decades later, we made a 60-minute profile for PBS's American Masters, which I produced and directed and was first broadcast in May 2017; festival invitations included Haifa International FF, EIDF (Seoul), Devour! (Nova Scotia), Sonoma FF. View clips here. DVD available on Amazon.
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The Mission
An Episode of Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco Executive Producer |
Chinatown
An Episode of Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco Executive Producer |
The first in a series of public television documentaries telling the history of San Francisco through its distinct neighborhoods, this 60-minute episode, directed by Pam Rorke Levy, tells the story of the city's oldest settled district, long a center of Latin culture.
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Broadcast nationally on PBS, this hour-long documentary, directed by Felicia Lowe, recounts more than a century of immigration, exclusion and resilience in one of the best known but least under- stood neighborhoods in the nation. CINE Golden Eagle and regional Emmy Award winner.
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Ending AIDS:
The Search for a Vaccine Treatment Writer / Research Producer |
The de' Medici Kitchen
Producer / Executive Producer |
A 60-minute documentary for PBS on the decades-long search to find an effective vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS. Co-produced by Kikim Media and Quest Productions.
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A 60-minute documentary and 13-part public television cooking series celebrating the culinary traditions of northern Italy, hosted by renowned author and teacher Lorenza de' Medici. The documentary, co-produced with Michael Lerner, was nominated for a James Beard Award.
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The People's Palace
San Francisco City Hall 100 Years Contributing Producer 
A 30-minute Emmy- nominated documentary celebrating the centennial of one of the most remarkable civic buildings in the nation, under whose dome have taken place many of the signal events of the city's life. Produced by Jim Yager Media, airing 2015-16 on PBS stations in Northern California. View film.
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Silicon Valley: The Untold Story
Consulting Producer 
A multi-part series for the Science Channel tracing the epic evolution of this pastoral valley into a dynamo of innovation that has altered nearly every aspect of human life for more than a century. Produced by Kikim Media. First broadcast March 2018. See trailer.
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Green Means
Hosted by Susan Stamberg Executive Producer / Head Writer |
Water from the Wilderness
Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco Bay Co-Producer & Co-Writer |
Three seasons of short documentaries for national public television, featuring ordinary people around the world doing extraordinary things on behalf of the environment. Hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg,, these brief inspiring stories profiled citizen activists, artists, scientists, farmers, surfers and naturalists providing unusual solutions to environmental problems.
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The dramatic and controversial story of how the city of San Francisco got its acclaimed water supply from a national park more than 100 years ago...and the ongoing challenge to keep it flowing in the face of climate change. Produced by Jim Yager Media in 2018, nominated for two Northern California Emmy Awards, aired on PBS stations throughout the West. View film.
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