Washington, D.C. – The District of Columbia Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME) is pleased to recognize MAGGIE BURNETTE STOGNER as the JUNE 2021 Filmmaker of the Month.
Award winning filmmaker Maggie Burnette Stogner is the Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University in Washington, DC (www.environmentalfilm.org) and a professor of Film and Media Arts. She brings over 30 years of filmmaking experience to the Center and to the classroom. Maggie also leads Blue Bear Films, a company that specializes in traditional and experiential media production, including immersive, interactive, and integrated film, video, and 3D/3D animation.
“The film community in the greater DC area is outstanding, so much talent. It is truly an honor to receive this recognition from OCTFME. From National Geographic to my production company Blue Bear Films, to helming American University's Center For Environmental Filmmaking, my accomplishments are thanks to the collaboration and support of many,” said Maggie Burnette Stogner. “I picked up my first Brownie and 8mm film camera when I was ten and have been making photographs and films ever since. I minored in Film at SF State University for Undergrad and was very fortunate to be accepted to Stanford University's graduate documentary film program. My love of nature, endless curiosity, and a commitment to justice are what motivate me.”
Prior to joining the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, she spent ten years at National Geographic Television and Film, where she produced, directed, and wrote numerous documentaries. Maggie was also the senior producer of the National Geographic award-winning weekly programs Explorer and Ultimate Explorer, a series that presented compelling untold stories and covered a wide array of provocative subjects.
In 2005, she launched Blue Bear Films and directs/produces/writes documentaries, including Unbreathable - the Fight For Healthy Air (2020), In the Executioner's Shadow (2018), Gold Mountain: Conquering the Sierras (2016). She also produces films and immersive media for world-touring cultural exhibitions for National Geographic, the Smithsonian, LucasFilms, and others. Her award-winning work includes two King Tut exhibitions (Tutankhamun The Golden King and Great Pharaohs); The Greeks; Real Pirates; Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures; Indiana Jones and Adventure of Archaeology; and Roads of Arabia.
Maggie is committed to creating opportunities for experiential learning through high-impact creative production labs that embrace diversity and inclusion. Her work embodies the belief that compelling storytelling and multi-format media have the power to inspire and to be a catalyst for meaningful change. Collaborating with the next generation of media makers is a critical part of this endeavor. Her scholarship explores engagement and impact design in film, immersive, and emerging media with a focus on exploring humanistic storytelling through 21st century media technologies. She has published articles in academic journals such as “Curator” and "The International Journal of New Media, Technology and the Arts”.
Maggie has a Master’s in Communication and Documentary Film from Stanford University. She began her career in San Francisco, working on a wide range of nonfiction programming for PBS, NBC, TBS, as well as on feature films for LucasFilm. She is a recipient of the prestigious Nicholls Screenwriting Fellowship, served on the Board of CINE Golden Eagles, and is a voting member of the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences.
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MAGGIE BURNETTE STOGNER DC RADIO INTERVIEW
Want to learn more about Maggie Burnette Stogner and her work? Click HERE to listen to her DC Radio interview.
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About Filmmaker of the Month
The Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) launched the “Filmmaker of the Month” initiative as a vehicle for highlighting the talents and creative contributions of filmmakers that make the District of Columbia their home. The “Filmmaker of the Month” initiative is part of OCTFME’s mission to elevate the national and international profile of the District’s talented filmmakers.
***If you know of a filmmaker that would make a great future “Filmmaker of the Month,” you can send OCTFME your recommendations using this nomination form.
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About OCTFME
The Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME) produces and broadcasts programming for the District of Columbia’s public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable television channels and digital radio station; regulates the District of Columbia’s cable television service providers; provides customer service for cable subscribers; and supports a sustainable film, music, and entertainment creative economy and labor market in the District of Columbia.
OCTFME operates and manages the District’s government television access channels: the District Council Channel (DCC), the District of Columbia Network (DCN), and the District Knowledge Network (DKN). OCTFME’s award-winning content provides resourceful information on government activity, education, current events, history, music, arts, and entertainment. OCTFME manages and programs DC Radio 96.3 HD4 digital radio station, the District of Columbia’s first government radio station in partnership with Howard University’s WHUR. It is one of only two full-power, city-managed and programmed radio stations in the country.
OCTFME provides production support services that advance film, television, video, entertainment, interactive, multimedia, and digital media content creators. These services include permitting; location scouting; production support; job placement assistance; workforce development; and the DC Film, Television and Entertainment Rebate Fund.
OCTFME supports the creative economy through Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents: 202Creates initiative, administering programs supporting the growth and sustainability of the creative industries in all 8 Wards of the District.
OCTFME provides additional support to the Creative community through the Creative Affairs Office (CAO). CAO showcases and preserves the District of Columbia’s rich creative communities throughout all 8 Wards. CAO builds sustainability in the creative community through policy, programming, and education which further expands the pathway to the middle class for the creative workforce. CAO coordinates public, private, and community partners to accomplish all goals and create equitable and inclusive opportunities for the District’s creatives.
For more information, contact the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment at (202) 671-0066, visit us online at: entertainment.dc.gov, and follow us on Facebook.com/entertaindc, Instagram.com/entertain_dc and Twitter.com/entertain_dc.
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