Jeff
Dobbs Bio
I graduated from
Emerson College in Boston with a B.S. in Speech and a minor in Mass Communications.
During the 1970s, I made my living as a still photographer, specializing in
marine photography, and I also collected and reproduced old sailing and
steamship photos to sell along with my originals.
When cable
television came to Bar Harbor in 1980, I started Dobbs Productions and began
The Acadia Channel, a tourist-information magazine reaching thousands of hotel
rooms and homes daily. Along with cinematographer and editor – and friend –
Bing Miller, who joined me in 1981 Dobbs Productions, will mark our 36th
year of operation in 2016.
I became
involved with the then-fledgling Maine Film Commission in the 1980s as well,
serving first on the board and later as chair, and helped create the Maine Film
and Video Association, serving there as vice-chair for several years. During
this time, Dobbs Productions added many
Maine clients and produced all manner of projects, including promotional and
corporate videos, short films, and television commercials.
Dobbs
Productions produced its first documentary film in 1985, Portrait of an Island: The Story of Mount Desert Island, but we
didn't commit to the genre in earnest until the early 1990s. That was when a
retired CBS News commentator by the name of Jack Perkins walked in our door.
Since that
fortunate day, we’ve produced all sorts of short pieces with Jack for any
number of national programs such as the McNeil/
Lehrer News Hour and the Arts & Entertainment Network. We also began working
together to produce documentaries about Maine. Our first was The Gift of Acadia, which appeared on
national and local PBS and was very popular. Before you know it, some 20 years
had gone by, and together we had produced as many films about Maine.
Then the
internet arrived, and started to change the film and music business forever. The
market for VHS and DVD was affected, but our passion for Maine subject matter
was undimmed, so we took a new tack for project funding. That was the birth of The
Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, named after my
great-grandfather. Our nonprofit status was granted in 2004, and since then we
have produced a half-dozen film projects through the foundation.
Becoming Acadia
– A Remarkable Place, a Good Start, and Now a Memorial
Becoming Acadia was begun last winter, and initial fundraising brought in more
than $30,000.00 in cash, pledges, and pro bono donations. From the start, we
were happy to have two exceptional people on the project, two men who shared
our passionate feelings about Maine and Acadia National Park: Jack Perkins was
with us, as was another of our longtime collaborators (and a dear friend),
Gunnar Hansen. Gunnar had stockpiled research, and was set to write the script.
But tragedy intervened.
Gunnar was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer. Private
man that he was, his condition was not a public matter. Though he struggled
mightily against the disease, he lost the battle and passed away this November.
His talents and friendship will be sorely missed. So, with great appreciation
and deep admiration, Becoming Acadia
will be dedicated to the memory of Gunnar Hansen and his love of Acadia.
Picking up on the script where Gunnar left off will be another
fine creative voice, Catherine Russell. Catherine has worked with Dobbs
Productions on many projects and will be taking great care to honor Gunnar’s
vision of Becoming Acadia while
bringing the writing to completion.
Dobbs Productions, in association with The Jefferson Davis
Grant Foundation, is already in pre-production on Becoming Acadia, and we’re using Indiegogo to help raise the
balance needed to complete the documentary. Our fundraising goal is $98,000.00.
It will take some 1,200 hours of production time to complete the project, not
including the many hours still required to raise the funds to cover those
costs. There is still much to be done in production, including completion of
the script and graphic research, photo restorations, interviews, etc. But
together, Jack Perkins, Bing Miller, composer John Cooper, Catherine Russell,
and I, we will be the primary production team for the film, with completion
slated for spring 2016. We’d like to ask you to join us. Pledge your support
through Indiegogo, and help us to tell the fascinating story of how Acadia
National Park came to be.
You know, I’ve produced many documentaries in my career,
and even with the best planning, they rarely stick to the expected course. But that’s
the creative process. We hope you’ll join us in that adventure, and support
production of Becoming Acadia.
Please take the time to watch the accompanying video…
What
happens when Becoming Acadia is completed
On completion, Becoming Acadia will be made available at
no cost for broadcast on MPBN and PBS. Furthermore, as part of the mission of
The Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation, copies of the film will be offered free
of charge to all Maine libraries and schools. Then, as part of the Acadia Centennial
Celebration, Becoming Acadia will be
screened at Maine venues.
We are pleased
that over the years our history films have been a staple of the Maine Public Broadcasting
Network, appearing throughout their schedule. Becoming Acadia will join that list of films, expanding the catalog
of projects about the rich history of Maine that have been funded by The
Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation. These documentaries have helped add a new
dimension to the understanding and appreciation of Maine history and the people
who made it.
So, your
support of Becoming Acadia through
Indiegogo helps tell the story of Acadia National Park, it celebrates Maine
history, and it provides quality learning materials for schools and engaging
public television.
Once Becoming Acadia is completed, we have
other Maine projects production planning, such as films about the history of
the Maine fisheries and the history of Maine shipbuilding, so keep an eye on
Indiegogo for what’s next from Dobbs Productions.