Jacquie Jones (April 28, 1965 – January 28, 2018) was an American public television film director, producer, writer and media executive. She was an editor of the Black Film Review from 1989 to 1993. She was executive director of Black Public Media (formerly the National Black Programming Consortium) from 2005 to 2014.[1]

Jacquie Jones
Born(1965-04-28)April 28, 1965
DiedJanuary 28, 2018(2018-01-28) (aged 52)
Washington, D.C.
Alma materHoward University
Stanford University
Occupations
  • Media executive
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
Notable workAfricans in America,
Matters of Race and 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School
SpouseGrant Clark
ChildrenAyana Jones Clark

Jones founded the New Media Institute in 2006 and the Public Media Corps in 2009. She was the recipient of two Peabody Awards, a Gracie Award and was selected as a Revson Fellow at Columbia University.[1]

Jones lived in Durban, South Africa. She was visiting Washington, D.C., with her family in December 2017 when she became ill. Jones died January 28, 2018.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Jacqueline Michele Jones was born April 28, 1965, in Washington D.C. Her parents were Humphrey and Claire Antoine Jones. Her family later moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Jones attended Howard University, majoring in English and minoring in African American Studies. She obtained her BA in English in 1987. Jones was editor of the Black Film Review from 1989 until 1993.[1] She later attended Stanford University, earning a MA in documentary filmmaking in 1995.[1]

Career

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Jones' was hired as a producer for Public Broadcasting Station, WGBH, in Boston after her graduation from Stanford University. In 1999 she was hired as senior vice president of ROJA productions. She worked at ROJA until 2003. While working for ROJA, Jones was responsible for creating new installations for the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.[1]

From 2005 to 2014, Jones served as executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium (now called Black Public Media). This nonprofit organization's primary focus is to develop media content about the Black experience.[1] "As executive director of the media arts organization, Jones expanded the focus of the nonprofit from public television to include digital media and she founded the New Media Institute that went on to train more than 500 media professionals in the tools needed to navigate the digital world.".[4]

Jones founded the New Media Institute in 2006. She also established Public Media Corps in 2009, "which connected minority and low-income communities with broadband public media resources and social media tools."[2]

Jones published writings in various anthologies and periodicals, including the anthologies Black Popular Culture and Picturing Us: African American Identity in Photography.[1]

Film and television

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Year Film Role Notes
2017 Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart Executive producer
2015 180 Days: Hartsville Producer, director
2015 Independent Lens Executive producer TV series (8 episodes: 2007-2015)
2015 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School Producer, director Peabody Award (2 episodes)
2013 Black Folks Don't Executive producer TV series (10 episodes: 2013-2016)
2004 Secret of Eel Island Writer 1 Episode
2003 Matters of Race Senior Producer
1999 The 20th Century: From Behind Closed Doors Producer, writer
1998 Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery Senior Producer, Director Peabody Award

Awards

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  • Peabody Award (1998) WGBH-TV Boston. Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery (PBS)[5]
  • Peabody Award (2013) National Black Programming Consortium. 180 Days: A Year Inside An American High School (PBS)[6]
  • Gracie Award (2013) National Black Programming Consortium. 180 Days: A Year Inside An American High School (PBS)[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Media Makers: Jacquie Jones". The History Makers. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b Simpson, April (30 January 2018). "Jacquie Jones, former executive director of Black Public Media, dies at 52". Current.org. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  3. ^ Barnes, Bart. "Obituary: Jacquie Jones, award-winning director who led group to aid black filmmakers, dies at 52". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Black Public Media Mourns the Death of Jacquie Jones". Black Public Media.org. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ "Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery (PBS)". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  6. ^ "180 Days: A Year Inside An American High School". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 8 February 2018.