Interview
with
Catherine Allan
Producing a documentary like Slavery by Another Name is an immense undertaking. Where did you start?
In 2008, shortly after the publication of Slavery by Another Name, TPT’s Vice President of National Productions,
Gerry Richman, suggested we take a look at producing a documentary based upon the book. Gerry’s wife had seen
the author, Wall Street Journal writer, Douglas Blackmon, interviewed on Bill Moyer’s NOW, and was struck as
Moyers himself was, by the book’s paradigm-shifting view that slavery in America had not ended with the
Emancipation Proclamation but had continued for eight decades into World War II. Gerry and I quickly reached
out to Doug about optioning the rights to the book. Doug had also been approached by others, including a
producer who had worked with Spike Lee. He ultimately decided to work with TPT National Productions based
upon our proven track record of developing and producing high profile series and specials for PBS about American
history. Shortly after we secured the rights, the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize!
Then came the fundraising.
Our staff started the arduous task of looking for foundations and corporations who wanted to support the project.
It took about two and a half years, more than a hundred proposals, and the efforts of everyone in National
Productions. We received anchor grants early on from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Coca-Cola, and the National
Endowment for the Humanities, but the remainder of the funds came in over the next two years, with one grant
coming in just two months before broadcast! We were especially pleased that some of the funding came from our
own community, including crucial grants from General Mills Foundation and the Omicron Boule of Minneapolis.
That support arrived just as we were planning the first location shoot in Alabama, and allowed the director, Sam
Pollard, to expand his plans for filming dramatic recreations.
You assembled the film’s creative team. How did you select Sam Pollard as producer/director?
I interviewed several producer/directors before hiring Sam Pollard. Sam’s past work made him a natural choice for
this project. He has worked on many programs dealing with matters of race and is greatly esteemed in the world
of independent filmmaking. I had also seen some work Sam had done directing actors and knew these skills would
be important for the film. Plus he had read Doug’s book!
What does it take to turn a brilliant book like Slavery by Another Name into a documentary script?
This book tells a sweeping 80-year story, is densely researched and recounts a history that is unremittingly dark.
Condensing it into a watchable 90-minute film for television was extremely challenging!
We had a great team working on the project. The script was written by Sheila Curran Bernard, an Emmy and
Peabody Award-winning writer who had worked with Sam on Eyes on The Prize II. I too had collaborated with
Sheila on a past project and thought that she brought integrity, discipline and a dedication to getting the story
right which this project needed. Another person who was key to the shaping of the film was Doug Blackmon, who
served as a co-executive producer on the film and was very involved in all aspects of production.
One of our big breakthroughs was the idea of incorporating the stories of “descendants” of victims and
perpetrators of forced labor into the story. These people had begun contacting Doug after Slavery by Another
Name was published, to say they were related to characters in the book, and thanking Doug for bringing this tragic
history to light. We began interviewing these people—initially for use on the website as part of an oral history
project with StoryCorps and eventually, for the film itself. We quickly discovered that they added an entirely new
element of emotional truth and even redemption to the story.
How much time did you devote to creating Slavery by Another Name?
In total, the documentary took three years from first optioning the book to broadcast on PBS. At least a quarter of
Twin Cities Public Television’s staff has contributed in significant ways to its success, from fundraising, design of
the beautiful key image, post-production, the website, promotion, events and logistics. It has been an enormous—
and very worthwhile—experience.
And the documentary is only the beginning. There will also be a website and education materials to help make
this virtually unknown history available to classrooms nationwide. High school resources will incorporate
the history of forced labor into units on Civics and Social Justice, English & Media Literacy and History. The
college unit will focus on the economics of slavery, both American “neoslavery” described in Slavery by
Another Name, and present day global slave trafficking. Teacher training workshops are being held in
Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Oakland, CA, Jackson, MS; and Minneapolis.
A discussion guide is also being designed for use in community settings and our hope is that the documentary will
be used for years to come as a catalyst for talking about some of the powerful themes raised by the film.