NEW YORK ORIGINALS

“New York Originals” is an Emmy Award winning television series which has aired on over 90 PBS stations across the country, showcasing one-of-a-kind small businesses in New York City. From the pizzeria that Frank Sinatra loved so much he had doens of their pies flown to his hime in California, to the shoe factory that once made boots for the Union Army during the Civil War. Jamie McDonald hosts the episodes, sharing the businesses unique stories and uncovering how they have stood the test of time.

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DOCUMENTARY

Pulp Fiction
Art

The documentary film, “Pulp Fiction Art: Cheap Thrills and Painted Nightmares” takes viewers behind the scenes of the forgotten art of pulp fiction magazines. The covers of these fiction rags were created to lure Depression Era readers in to a world of raw and graphic themes of mystery, horror and the obligatory scantily-clad damsels in distress. This documentary profiles several genres and the artists who painted these entertaining, over the top images. Director Jamie McDonald was given exclusive access to the world’s largest pulp fiction art collection owned by art historian Robert Lesser. Winner of the 2006 “Best Documentary” award at both the Dragon*Con Film Festival and The International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival,  “Pulp Fiction Art: Cheap Thrills and Painted Nightmares” leaves viewers thinking differently about what constitutes as “true” art. 

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American Originals Made on Main Street

Taking a page from “New York Originals, this new one hour documentary takes viewers across the United States to find some of the most unique one-of-a-kind shops, businesses and factories out there. Originally airing on PBS, Emmy nominated special includes the oldest candy manufacturer in America, a fifth-generation family of chair makers and a model steam engine factory unlike any workshop in America.

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More Projects

America’s Historic Homes

This special takes a look at two of the most exquisite and historical, but somewhat unknown houses in the United States. Mark Twain’s home in Hartford, a Victorian Tour De Force which might surprise some considering the humorist’s down home persona. The Merchant’s house is also profiled and can unarguably be categorized as a true living time capsule of the world in the 1850’s. 

Christmas Specials

Over the years I have hosted/produced Christmas specials for the cable network AWE. These shows situate themselves nicely every year with families looking for a little holidays cheer. “Christmas Big…New York Style” shows the sights and sounds around the Big Apple during the holiday season. “Christmas in New England” follows their lead with a more sedate and perhaps rustic take on the holidays.