American Documentary

New York, N.Y. — November 14, 2018 — American Documentary (AmDoc), the parent organization of the PBS documentary series POV, today announced the hiring of Asadullah “Asad” Saed Muhammad as the vice president of impact and engagement strategy. In the newly created role, Muhammad will work closely with the executive director and senior leadership team to oversee the impact and engagement division of the organization, leading directors on activities around community engagement and education, station relations, filmmaker programs and industry partnerships.

American Documentary is a multimedia arts organization that produces POV, the PBS showcase of nonfiction films and American television's longest-running documentary series. Since 1988, POV has been home to the world’s brightest contemporary filmmakers. AmDoc also produces America ReFramed, a year-round documentary series that highlights diverse stories from around the country.

The organization is an industry leader in impact engagement. For the past decade, POV Engage has produced a suite of educational materials—including a lesson plan, discussion guide and reading list—for each of its broadcast films. Its Community Network, which boasts over 10,000 community organizers, teachers and librarians, allows users to borrow from over 90 POV titles for free to organize screenings. AmDoc's engagement team also produces educational materials and events for its growing portfolio of interactive nonfiction projects.

"I am thrilled to be joining POV’s leadership team," said Muhammad. "I have utilized documentary works throughout my entire career whether it was to influence policymakers, nurture young people undergoing profound transformation or to strengthen community conversations. These present times are showing us now more than ever how vital it is that POV continues to grow in its thriving tradition of empowering documentarians and engaging viewers with beautiful, bold stories that serve to artfully shape and enlighten the world."

"We're excited for Asad to lead our industry-leading engagement team," said Justine Nagan, executive producer/executive director of POV/American Documentary. "Following the departure of Eliza Licht, our vice president of engagement and content strategy of 17 years, we used the transition as an opportunity to restructure the organization to plan for the future. He's coming on board during an exciting time at AmDoc as we set our sights on the decade ahead."

This is the second hiring announcement in the past month, following the recent promotions of Theresa Navarro to vice president of external affairs and Erika Howard to senior director of station marketing and audience engagement. AmDoc also hired Akmyrat Tuyliyev as interactive producer to head several upcoming projects in the coming year.

About Asadullah “Asad” Saed Muhammad

Asadullah Muhammad was born and raised in New York City and has over 15 years of experience in education and community development with a primary focus on the advancement of court-involved and incarcerated youth, securing safe housing for LGBTQ youth, and enhancing public school education in Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans and New York. Most recently, Asadullah worked for United Way for Southeastern Michigan as a Pathway Coach building college and career pathways in Detroit public high schools. He trained school leaders, teachers, school counselors and college advisors in aligning school environments and curriculum with industry-valued, career opportunities for students.

While in Detroit, Asadullah served on the Board of Directors for the Ruth Ellis Center. The center is the only organization in the country that has a residential program for LGBTQ youth in the foster care and juvenile justice system, and is mission-specific to queer youth experiencing homelessness. Asadullah graduated from Hampton University with a degree in business management and information systems. In 2014, he completed the Public Leaders Fellowship with Leadership for Educational Equity. Asadullah has been a longtime fan of POV, initially connecting with the organization over ten years ago when organizing a Manhattan public screening of the POV film Love and Diane.

About American Documentary

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.

POV

Produced by American Documentary, POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives. POV films have won 38 Emmy® Awards, 21 George Foster Peabody Awards, 12 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards®, the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award and the Prix Italia. The POV series has been honored with a Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, three IDA Awards for Best Curated Series and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Award for Corporate Commitment to Diversity. Learn more at www.pbs.org/pov/.

POV Engage

POV’s community engagement and education team works with educators, community organizations and PBS stations to present more than 800 free screenings every year. In addition, we distribute free discussion guides and standards-aligned lesson plans for each of our films. With our community partners, we inspire dialogue around the most important social issues of our time.

Interactive

Since 1994, AmDoc has driven new storytelling initiatives and interactive production for POV. The department has continually experimented with web-based documentaries, producing PBS’ first program website and the first Snapchat-native documentary. It has won major awards for its work, including a Webby Award and over 19 nominations. Now with a singular focus on incubating and distributing interactive productions, AmDoc's interactive team continues to explore the future of independent nonfiction media through its co-productions, acquisitions and the POV Labs, where media makers and technologists collaborate to reinvent storytelling forms.