Biography

Gary Glassman is a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry with nearly four decades of experience. His films have won and been honored with nominations for the industry’s most prestigious awards including seven Emmys, two Writers Guild Awards, the AAA Science Journalism Prize, and the CINE Golden Eagle. He has produced and directed some of highest-rated programs on PBS including the The Bible’s Buried Secrets and the Building Wonders series. That latter production made history with designing an ancient lift and trap door system, installing it in the Colosseum in Rome, and releasing a wolf into the arena for the first time in 1500 years. Most recently he has been executive producing the Emmy-nominated PBS series Native America.

Glassman follows an inclusive storytelling approach that is born of his unique entry point into the film industry - through the world of street and circus performing. His experience connecting with people while clowning, fire-eating, and stilt walking inspired an ongoing dedication to both subjects and audiences. This quest for connection inspired him to explore the accessibility of VHS as a medium to democratize storytelling and its potential to give voice to the voiceless. Glassman embarked on a new journey of participatory media projects, working with prisoners, hospitalized children, and developmentally challenged adults. His films from this era include Prisoners, his first documentary, now in the permanent collections of MoMA and the Pompidou in Paris.

Inspired by the connective and personal power of television, Glassman founded Providence Pictures in 1996. Under the Providence Pictures banner, he has made over 60 films for the world’s leading broadcasters. He holds a BA from Goddard College and an MFA in Directing from UCLA.
- IMDb mini biography by: Gary Glassman