The American Diplomat
Client/Company: FLOWSTATE Films
Project Description: The American Diplomat is a one-hour historical documentary that premiered on PBS’s American Experience on February 15, 2022. The film examines the experiences and legacies of Edward R. Dudley, Terrence Todman, and Carl T. Rowan, African-American diplomats serving during the Cold War. At the height of the civil rights movement in the US, these men represented the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home. The film reveals the story of these men and their bid to narrow the gap between principle and practice in American diplomacy for generations to come. The American Diplomat is a co-production between FLOWSTATE Films and PBS’s flagship series, American Experience.
Julie’s Role: Archival Assistant
In addition to interviews with family members, colleagues, historians, and diplomats, this one-hour film is full of archival material, literally changing every few seconds. Because of our successful working relationship on The George Washington University Bicentennial Film Series, FLOWSTATE Films reached out to me to help organize the vast amount of digital assets, such as photographs, videos, headlines, and documents, which were coming in from different researchers. I coordinated with the producers to record and standardize the metadata for each file and upload it to Canto, a digital asset database. Once in Canto, the film’s editors and producers could find and track assets more easily.
Promotional image of "The American Diplomat," which aired on PBS's American Experience. Image credit: FLOWSTATE Films