Live Documentaries

The “Live Documentary” style begins with the normal business of the organization – welcome, announcements, etc, given by the host.  We provide the host with an introductory statement that seamlessly leads into the presentation.  Then our narrator begins the documentary “off-stage” – in the back of the room, for example.  The topic, not the narrator, is the focus and the star.

What sets the Live Documenary apart from the typical presentation is the narrative – it’s written in the documentary style of Ken Burns or “The American Experience.” This approach captures the attention of the audience; it is fully engaged in the story.  The audience focuses solely on the screen (as they would on television or in a movie theater) where there is a constant flow of images. The audience is not distracted by a person with a clicker standing next to the pictures.

At the end of the “documentary”, we come out to take questions and participate in discussion as long as the audience cares to stay.

Whether you prefer the traditional speaker style or the Live Documentary, you still get the same narration and flow of photos.  We have two documentaries available: “From Vision to Icon: Building the Golden Gate Bridge” and “The American Emperor: the Life and Times of Joshua Abraham Norton, San Francisco’s Most Colorful Character.”

We offer these documentaries at no cost for community organizations, non-profits, museums, and schools.  Each documentary is $195 for convention groups and business meeting.  Please call 415-317-8687 or email us to arrange a documentary.

The two documentaries we currently offer have been presented at the Commonwealth Club of California, the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum, and the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.

Our Documentaries

“From Vision to Icon: Building the Golden Gate Bridge”

It’s one of the seven civil engineering wonders of the United States.  It is second only to the Eiffel Tower as the  most recognized structure in the world.  Its construction was built on faith in the future, the value of progress, and American ingenuity and creativeness.  It is a welcoming portal to America on the  Pacific, as the Statue of Liberty is on the Atlantic.

Yet it took nearly two decades to overcome political, financial, engineering, and construction challenges never before faced by any project of this magnitude. It took the work of the finest theoreticians and designers of bridge building, fearless engineers and construction workers, led by a visionary with an unstoppable desire to achieve a monumental achievement of a lifetime.

We are excited to have been selected to present our documentary as part of the official ceremonies honoring the 75th anniversary of opening bridge on May 27.  If your organization is sponsoring a tribute, please feel free to have us present our program as part of your events at no cost.

Testimonials

“Mr. Moylan’s documentary about the Golden Gate Bridge is fascinating and very well researched.  He weaves together stories of the personalities responsible for the Bridge with insights into the political, geological, and financial challenges of building it.  The program helps audience members understand the true significance of the Golden Gate Bridge: as an amazing technological achievement that changed both San Francisco and the workers who planned and built it.”
- Katy O.

“History is the most amazing gift.  Your presentation on the GG Bridge allowed me to reflect on how attainable one’s dreams are and because of that to never give up on them no matter what.  Thank you for bringing that into fruition.”
- Karla A., San Francisco, Community Health Worker

Peter’s passion for history and biography is infectious! It’s amazing all the different stories and lives he is able to weave together into one cohesive narrative. It definitely adds a new depth to my understanding of the city and I’d imagine it will do the same for all visitors, transplants, and SF natives alike!
-  Scott Reed, San Francisco

“The presentation reminded me of the style and quality of “The American Experience” documentaries.”
- Aaron, San Francisco

“The American Emperor”

The Life and Times of San Francisco’s Most Colorful Character

This is the charming story of a remarkable 19th century character who set the tone for San Francisco’s unique, fun-loving, and often wacky personality.  Joshua Abraham Norton was a successful and leading businessman of San Francisco.  He lost it all in a series of bad business deals.  After a couple of years of obscurity, he suddenly reappeared, declaring himself the “Emperor of the United States.”  For nearly two decades, he “ruled” with the acceptance of the people of San Francisco.  Remarkably, the funeral of the beloved “Mad Monarch of Montgomery Street” was attended by 30,000 and was reported in newspapers throughout the nation.

Testimonials

“I loved Peter’s documentary on Emperor Norton. This was a part of San Francisco history that I didn’t know much about.  He has a way of bringing in historical facts and giving you an inside look at who the key players are, in a way that is funny, insightful and thought-provoking.  This is the best way to learn about our city’s past!” – Nancy Frappier, Social Worker, Pacifica, CA

“Many of these are too long.  But this was just the right length.  I feel like I got to know Emperor Norton completely in less than an hour.” – Audience Member – Café Royale

Coming in 2012 …

“The Summer of Love”  

Hippies, War, Music and Social Change in the Haight Ashbury of the 60s

2012 will be the 45^th anniversary of the Human Be-in/Gathering of the Tribes Festival in Golden Gate Park in 1967 that inspired the “Summer of Love.”  This was the turning point of an era in which college students from San Francisco State College and the University of California, Berkeley, rose up to demand academic freedom and to protest the war in Vietnam; youngsters came to Haight Ashbury in search of a life of peace and love, sex, drugs and rock music that would be called “The San Francisco Sound” came together to change the nation forever, for better and for worse.