Biography
Named to Variety’s “10 Documakers to Watch” early in his career, Brad Barber is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and the creator of multiple public television documentary shorts series, producing over 100 episodes to date. His feature directing debut, PEACE OFFICER, which he directed, produced, and shot with Scott Christopherson, won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival, among other festival honors. PEACE OFFICER went on to a nationwide theatrical release with Gravitas Ventures and Submarine Deluxe, before showing at community dialogue events in 75 cities leading up to its broadcast on PBS’s documentary series Independent Lens in 2016.
In 2009, Brad was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy for his work as an editor on the HBO documentary RESOLVED, for which he also served as an associate producer and cinematographer. He was awarded 5 regional Emmys for his documentary series BEEHIVE STORIES (2009-2018), which he made with his students, and is a recipient of the AFI Docs/NBC Universal Impact Grant for social outreach. He has also served as a Jury Member for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and on selection committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and the Slamdance Film Festival.
Professor Barber began teaching at BYU in 2007 and focuses primarily on documentary film production in the Media Arts Studies program, working with students in a professional mentoring environment. His most recent mentoring project is STATES OF AMERICA, an ongoing documentary series featuring one person in each of the 50 United States. The series streams at PBS.org and WORLD Channel. He was also recently a co-creator and producer on the NJPBS documentary series 21 (2021-2023), for which he and the team won a New York Emmy. He is married to artist and frequent collaborator Susan Krueger-Barber, and together they have two amazing sons.