Doug Harris Media

Filmmaking team of Doug Harris and son Douglas Jr. conducting interview for PBS documentary FAIR LEGISLATION: The Byron Rumford Story

UC Berkeley premiere of "Epicenter" documentary examining the Bay Area's struggle for Black Studies in higher education

(BERKELEY, CA) Having started as a production assistant on the Emmy nominated Comcast SportsNet documentary OUT: The Glenn Burke Story back in 2010, Douglas Harris Jr. has worked his way up to the directorial debut of his new documentary Epicenter: The Stuggle for Black Studies in the Bay Area. The film which premieres during 2026 Black History Month at UC Berkeley, examines the the hard fought stuggles by college activist at Merritt College, San Francisco State, and UC Berkeley to incorporate this new form of curriculum into their academic institutions back in the 1960s.

"The complexities of producing this story have been quite difficult, but Douglas Jr. has taken the lead in crafting an engaging documentary that will present a new perspective of this historical subject," says filmmaker Doug Harris. "I'm completely amazed at how this film will give viewers an in-depth look at all the turmoil that actually took place in this important Bay Area struggle."

Click on photo or link to view documentary trailer

PBS documentary CALLED UP chronicles the life of Emmett Ashford, Major League Baseball's first Black umpire

(BERKELEY, CA) Very seldon if ever do television viewers have an opportunity to experience stories about the decision makers in professional sports, and CALLED UP is the definitive story about Major League Baseball's first Black umpire. Emmett Ashford, a native of Los Angeles, perservered through 15 long years of umpiring in the minor leagues before finally being called up to the American League in 1966.

Known for his flamboyant style of calling balls and strikes in the AAA Pacific Coast League, Ashford was a fan favorite throughout the West Coast and became the league's Umpire in Chief who trained many umpires who would pass him by to the major leagues. "You had to see Emmett in order to love what he did. He developed this show on the field that everyone just loved," said late Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey. But through his long journey, Ashford would perservere through some of cruelest racism imaginable.

Filmmakers Doug Harris and Emmy Award winning producer Raymond Bell capture the essence of Emmett Ashford's life through insightful interviews with a list of prominent baseball personalities, along with photos and archival film footage that help to bring his story to full life. "With the recent federal cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I hope our CALLED UP documentary will attract sports viewers around the country who wouldn't ordinarily watch PBS documentary programming," states filmmaker Doug Harris.

Click on photo or link to view PBS documentary

Don Barksdale remembered in Basketball Stories feature during TNT Sports NBA All Star Weekend coverage

During the NBA's recent stop in the San Francisco Bay Area for their All Star weekend festivities, television viewers were treated to a special TNT Sports feature titled Basketball Stories: Bay Area Hoops, with a strong cast of living legends from Oakland that included Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Antonio Davis, Brian Shaw, JR Rider, along with Rick Barry.

The one-hour documentary feature was a blend of Bay Area hoops and culture through a series of personal stories shared by the basketball greats and their entertainment counterparts (rap artists). Woven into the feature was the tale of legendary basketball pioneer Don Barksdale who became the NBA's first African American all star player in 1953 as a member of the Boston Celtics. "When I was contacted by TNT Sports producer Michaela Gilmer to be included in the program, I was honored to share parts of Don Barksdale's illustrious hoop story," says filmmaker Doug Harris producer of BOUNCE: The Don Barksdale Story.

Don Barksdale, a native of Berkeley and longtime resident of Oakland, was instrumental in convincing his close friend and Golden State Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli to move the team from San Francisco to Oakland in the early 1970s. In Barksdale's later years, he served as a scout for the team, and drafted 6' 7" NAIA All American Doug Harris in the 1983 NBA draft. In 2007, Harris' documentary BOUNCE: The Don Barksdale Story received the Beacon Award for "Best Single Program" on cable television.

Click on Doug's photo to view Don Barksdale's award winning documentary

New Orleans documentary project explores Creole family's involvement with the early roots of jazz

With jazz being such a popular music genre for people from all walks of life and all around the world, there have been mixed stories about how it actual evolved. The one distinct fact about jazz that is clear to everyone, the music originated from New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th century.

When you really stop and think about it, jazz is sort of like the Louisiana Creole dish "Gumbo", an assortment of different styles of music (classical, folk, blues, and African rythms) all blended together to create a unique sound that has continually grown in popularity around the world. "ReConnect: The Untold History of Jazz" is a documentary film being produced and directed by filmmaker Doug Harris about the story of author Nick Douglas' Creole family in New Orleans that were instrumental in the early creation of jazz music.

As classically trained professional musicians, the Tios, Pirons and Pavageaus were the Creole families at the forefront of the new musical genre that became known to the world as jazz. "I grew up in Berkeley, California as a big fan of jazz, and when I was approached by Nick Douglas to develop and produce this story, I was completely honored," states filmmaker Doug Harris. "Nick's years of research on his book "Finding Octave: The Untold Story of Two Creole Families" has been a marvelous guide to producing this exciting documentary film project."

With the documentary well under way, the filmmaking team is currently seeking financial help to get film completed for public television through our GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign. For those interested in helping, click on the photo and watch our campaign video presentation and visit/share our GoFundMe page to make a contribution towards helping us to get this historical documentary completed.

Click on photo to view presentation, and the GoFundMe link below to make a donation

All American: The Walter Gordon Story documentary available for viewing on PBS online

(BERKELEY, CA) After several years of challenging work, Walter Gordon's illustrious life story has been featured on PBS and is available to view in its entirety at anytime or any place on the networks online application.

For those who enjoy history, "ALL AMERICAN: The Walter Gordon Story" is a historical documentary definitely worth watching. The film is part of an ongoing partnership between Doug Harris Media and PBS KVIE Sacramento, and has served as the kickoff for the Cal Alumni Profiles series. The film explores Walter Gordon's complex life as UC Berkeley's very first All American football player (1918), and his achievements as an unknown early 20th century social justice and civil rights pioneer.

The documentary is a true learning experience that will take viewers on a historical journey highlighting Walter Gordon's impact on society through college sports, law enforcement, and government through engaging commentary from a mixed cast of interview subjects. One of the key takeaways from the film is the question of how a man of his stature could accomplish so many monumental achievements and go completely unnoticed.

Click on photo or link to view documentary on PBS online

Short documentary explores history of Richmond's Macdonald Avenue, as the city seeks to revitalize its main street corridor

(RICHMOND) Way back in 1899, A.S. Macdonald had a vision that would to ultimately led to the Bay Area city of Richmond becoming a major hub for transportation and industry on the West Coast. Intrigued by this captivating story, filmmaker Doug Harris has produced a short documentary that explores the history of Richmond, California's main street corridor (Macdonald Avenue).

"During my time working for the City of Richmond, I had heard so many stories about the vibrancy of the old downtown Richmond along Macdonald Avenue, and I felt this would be an interesting subject for a historical documentary. This story is a big part of American history, because what happened to Macdonald Avenue has happened to main streets all around the country," says Doug Harris.

The short 10-minute documentary was funded through the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission's Neighborhood Public Art grant, and Harris is looking to extend the short film into a full PBS documentary.

College & Career video series provides young students with roadmap for life after high school success

(RICHMOND) Exploring options and preparing for life after high school is not always an easy task for young students, and can be even more difficult for parents. With this in mind, the Richmond Library's Teen Program and the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund teamed up with dougharrismedia.com to produce the video series to help guide students through the process of developing a solid game plan.

The video series is comprised of six (6) short presentations that cover options and resources for admissions to four-year and community college, and the construction and building trades.

North Richmond Documentary Photo & Video Exhibit

The online exhibit was produced through the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission's Neighborhood Public Art grant, and presented a collection of archival photo images and documentary stories about the unincorporated community of North Richmond.

Originally slated for exhibition at the Richmond Museum of History & Culture, the exhibit was switched to an online exhibit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The blend of archival photos and video clips were assembled from the award winning four-part An Exploration of Our History documentary film series produced by teen participants of the North Richmond Digital Technology Academy media arts training program, facilitated by Producer/Director Doug Harris.

Doug Harris, Filmmaker