PBS producer visits college

Yance Ford, series producer for P.O.V. on PBS, visited The Documentary Institute November 27-28 to speak with the students about her work.

P.O.V. (point of view), a PBS program, is the longest-running TV showcase for independent non-fiction films and documentaries. The featured films have won 18 Emmy’s, 10 Peabody Awards and three Academy Awards.

“[Ford’s visit] will give students a better idea of what P.O.V. looks for in a documentary,” says Documentary Institute Co-Director Churchill Roberts, “and tips on how to improve the chances of getting their documentaries on network television.”

Ford works with P.O.V’s executive director and director of production and is responsible for directing all aspects of the program’s annual call for entries. She’s often the first point of contact between filmmakers and P.O.V. and she solicits national and international filmmakers.

Ford, who reviews close to 800 films a year, is also a programming consultant and pre-screener for film festivals around the country, including the Sundance Film Festival. She’s also worked as a production manager on several independent productions for the Discovery Health and History channels.

Besides showing and analyzing select P.O.V. films, Ford worked with institute students on their thesis projects.

The institute is part of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communications practitioners. Besides documentary filmmaking, the college’s other graduate-level programs include science/health communication, media law, political communication and international communication.

Posted: November 30, 2007
Category: College News