FEATURED ON
Our work takes many forms: feature-length films, series, documentary shorts, and more. We collaborate with media platforms and change-makers in the history and education realms to tell new stories about history — and inspire audiences to make needed change. Our current and past clients include the Smithsonian Channel/Paramount, Edutopia, Learning for Justice at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Ford’s Theatre, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New American History, the American Civil War Museum, PBS member station VPM, and the University of Virginia’s Memory Project. We are available for hire →
In our short and feature-length films, we illustrate the power of history through fresh, contemporary storytelling. This work is character-driven, place-based, urgent, and focused on justice. We find lessons in physical environments, archival materials, scholarly works, family stories, and the memories of history-makers and their descendants. We also work with expert educators to craft teaching tools that put these films to work in classrooms.
Our work includes:
Picturing the Obamas follows the national tour of the portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and features artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, everyday people finding hope in these works of art, and cameos from the Obamas themselves. Watch on the Smithsonian Channel →
How the Monuments Came Down reveals the history of Confederate moments and Black resistance in Richmond, Virginia. Winner of a Capital Emmy, the Thaddeus Stevens Award for Social Engagement, and the American Historical Association’s John E. O’Connor Award for the best historical film released in 2021. Watch on PBS →
The Future of America’s Past is a public television series revealing some of the most difficult chapters in US history — on-location where the history happened. Winner of three Capital Emmys. Watch on PBS →
An Outrage, on the history and legacy of lynching in the American South, premiered at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The Southern Poverty Law Center has since deployed the film and a comprehensive curriculum to its “Learning for Justice” network of nearly 500,000 educators. Watch on-demand →
The Hail-Storm: John Dabney in Virginia, about a remarkable and long-forgotten Black restaurateur who was born enslaved, streams free and includes a discussion guide and recipes. Nominated for a Capital Emmy. Watch on-demand →
Hannah was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. She attended the College of William & Mary and Columbia University, and has a background in history, international development, and multimedia storytelling. From 2012-14, Hannah supported fundraising and communications at WITNESS, a human rights video advocacy organization. Hannah serves on the Board of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
Lance was raised throughout Virginia. He studied history and politics at Syracuse University and Brandeis University, focusing on civil rights and social justice in the 20th-century United States. From 2010-2016 he supported the work of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, producing in-person teacher workshops and online graduate courses for history educators nationwide.