The District of Columbia Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) is pleased to honor Brad Allgood, experienced cinematographer, director and editor, as the March 2014 Filmmaker of the Month. Brad is a three-time CINE award-winning filmmaker with a diverse background in the biological and physical sciences as well as international development, Latin American issues and public health. He has been making films in the DC area for the past six years since moving to the District in 2008.
Brad Allgood has produced, filmed and/or edited many shorts and features, including the documentary My Village, My Lobster, winner of the CINE Golden Eagle for Independent Documentary and an Official Selection in numerous festivals around the world; the PBS program EcoViews: Three Stories from the Chesapeake Bay, a National Finalist for the 2010 Student Academy Awards and CINE Golden Eagle Winner; The Road We Know, a feature-length film about youth efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Botswana; Waiting for Oil, an half-hour documentary about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill; 120 Days, a CINE-winning feature-length documentary about an undocumented immigrant’s last days in the United States with his family; and Breaking the Wall of Silence, a documentary portrait of several innovators who are working to make healthcare more transparent and safe for its patients.
Brad’s career in film began unexpectedly while he was serving as a community health volunteer in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. After finishing the Peace Corps, he moved to Washington, DC and enrolled in American University's graduate film program where he began working in various crew roles on local productions. A highlight from these early days included an opportunity to spend three days in the White House working with Oprah and the First Family for Oprah's 2009 Christmas at the White House special.
Realizing the growth potential for Spanish language content and leveraging his experience living and working in Latin America for more than five years, Brad has begun focusing his career on Spanish-language and bilingual productions. His current projects include a one-hour documentary titled The Voice of the Mayangna, an adventure and music film that documents the first professional recording of Mayangna Indian musicians in the rainforests of Northern Nicaragua. He is also currently working as Associate Editor on the feature documentary Landfill Harmonic, the inspiring story about a Paraguayan youth orchestra that plays instruments made from recycled garbage. The story was featured on the show 60 Minutes in January and is expected to be released later this year.
In addition to documentary film, Brad also worked for PBS Marketing and Communications, producing broadcast, online and radio promotional campaigns for several PBS programs, including the Emmy Award-winning Masterpiece series Downton Abbey, Upstairs/Downstairs and the American Experience film Freedom Riders.
Brad currently resides in Ward 1 of the District of Columbia.
MPTD launched the Filmmaker of the Month initiative to feature a District-based filmmaker who exemplifies the vast amount of talent and creativity based here in the nation’s capital.
The Filmmaker of the Month initiative is part of MPTD’s mission to elevate the national and international profile of the city’s most talented filmmakers. Previous filmmakers honored include founder of Jezebel Filmworks and BlackFilmMakers.net Ada Babino, Emmy award-winning producer/director and owner of Metro Teleproductions Dave Lilling, director of award-winning film Money Matters Ryan Richmond, and Academy Award-Winning Documentarian Grace Guggenheim.
You can visit the Filmmaker of the Month section to learn more about Brad and previous Filmmaker of the Month recipients.