David Royle

DAVID ROYLE (Producer/Director) is one of America’s most experienced non-fiction filmmakers and has an international reputation for quality filmmaking that reaches broad audiences. A nine-time Emmy winner, he oversaw filmmaking at National Geographic and most recently served as the Chief Programming Officer for the Smithsonian Channel – a joint venture between CBS and the Smithsonian Institution – for 15 years.

David began work on this feature documentary more than 30 years ago when he filmed exclusive interviews with Black Mountain students and faculty, including John Cage, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Weston, and Arthur Penn. He also captured a world premiere musical performance by Lou Harrison as well as Dorothea Rockburne’s creation of the giant Northern Sky, Southern Sky murals in the Sony Tower/AT&T building in New York. He is excited to be completing this documentary at a time when there is an enormous growth of interest in Black Mountain and a recognition of its extraordinary influence.

David’s many production credits include America in Color (Smithsonian), Hockney (BBC/Smithsonian), Inside Gorbachev’s USSR (PBS), Search for the Afghan Girl (National Geographic), TV Nation (NBC/BBC), Senator Sam (PBS) and Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters (Smithsonian).