For over forty years, John Allen has been producing film and video productions with a commitment to media that opens people’s understanding of the world they share. His career has been filled with projects as varied as award-winning documentaries for broadcast, dramatic literary re-creations, educational programs for schools, and productions for museums, corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations. John is a former teacher with a graduate degree in education as well as television and film. As a result, he brings a full understanding of educational techniques and objectives to all projects, along with creative sensitivity and technical know-how.
Our production style is to create interpretive programs – films that immerse the audience in the experience of the subject rather than just telling them about it. Along with that focus, we believe in working closely with our clients to achieve their production objective, on time, and within the budget. In fact, to us, the journey is as important as the outcome. We want to work with our clients as a part of their team and take pride in the repeat business that we have enjoyed over the years.
We will work with you from concept to completion. Projects begin with consultation to focus your topic, tailor it to the visual medium and the audience you want to reach. From there we work with you to develop a script, and follow through with production, graphic design, music and editing to a final master. Our work goes beyond video production to include educational packages with study guides, lesson plans, and hands-on activities for films targeting learning environments.
We are experienced in the following genres... and more
Historic
Interviews
Museums/Visitor Centers
Social Issues
Environmental
“WOW! Very exciting! Magical!”
“Professional, passionate, approachable, studious…We were right to hire your company…”
“Collaborative and dependable. Allen's documentary really brought our vision to life.”
CORPORATIONS
Armstrong World Industries, Bell South, COMSAT, IBM, ICF Inc., MCI, Washington Hospital Center, Western Union International, Fairfax Financial.
GOVERNMENT
National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Bureau of the Census, US Departments or Agriculture, Commerce, and Transportation, Armed Forces Radio and Television Network, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Peace Corps, National Institute of Standards & Technology, District of Columbia Public Schools, Calvert County Public Schools, Stafford County, VA.
MUSEUMS/VISITOR CENTERS
National Inventors Hall of Fame, The National Holocaust Memorial Museum, Gettysburg NHP, Eisenhower NM, Appomattox NP, Booker T Washington NM, The Western Historic Trails Museum, Hampton NHS, Washington Monument, US Marine Corps War Memorial, Dry Tortugas National Historic Park, Ethan Allen Homestead Museum.
ASSOCIATIONS & NON-PROFITS
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, The Aluminum Association, American Association of University Women, American Judicature Society, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Council on Foundations, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Pasta Association, Retail Bakers of America, The American Red Cross, The United Way, The Combined Federal Campaign, Eisenhower Foundation, Humane Society, Kids Are Our Concern, National Public Radio (NPR), Theater Wagon, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, American Chestnut Land Trust.
John’s productions have taken him to six of the seven continents and on travels documenting the Mississippi River from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico, and the Oregon and Morman trails to their destinations at Salt Lake City and the Pacific Ocean. Here are only a few examples.
In capturing the awesome beauty and challenge of Antarctica, John has made two trips to the bottom of the world, including the South Pole. His assignments were to document the work of scientists there who are funded and managed by the National Science Foundation. Their work is to shed light on the continent’s ecosystems, its processes and relationship with the rest of the planet. His filming documented the work of biologists, glaciologist and earth scientists whose work delves into ecology, climate and even outer space.
On this assignment with the U.S. Peace Corps, John followed American volunteers in their work to urban areas, farmlands, and a remote mountain village whose residents had rarely seen Americans. The goal was to inform American students of this rich culture and people shaping their lives in vibrant cities recently freed from Soviet domination to others eking out a living along the ancient Silk Road on the Chinese border.
In addition to traveling across international borders, John took a production crew and troupe of actors back in time to the Middle Ages as they reproduced a medieval liturgical music drama in its original 12th century location at a cathedral on the river Loire.
Another project in partnership with the Peace Corps took John and crew into the tropical forests, urban centers and coastal villages of the Dominican Republic. Here they documented the volunteer work of teachers in populated areas and a water resource developer in a remote jungle village.
Most remote of the Florida Keys are the Dry Tortugas, surrounded by sunken shipwrecks and housing the massive Civil War Fort Jefferson. Within it are the cells of convicted co-conspirators of the Lincoln assassination, including the infamous Dr. Samuel Mudd. John brought the 19th-century experience of this place and its people to life through a highly produced dramatized audio tour for today’s visitors.
