MNN Remembers George Stoney on his 100th Birthday

MNN is proud to provide Manhattan residents with the opportunity to learn media production and share their voices with the public, but it wouldn’t be possible without the groundbreaking work of George Stoney.

Known as the “father of public access television,” George Stoney was a documentary filmmaker, educator and long-time MNN and Alliance for Community Media board member who helped make public access television what it is today.

Mr. Stoney believed that film and media had the power to create social change, which is why he dedicated his life to making documentary films about important issues and advocating for public access to media education.

As Mr. Stoney once said, “We look on cable as a way of encouraging public action. Social change comes with a combination of use of media and people getting out on the streets or getting involved. And we find that if people make programs together and put them on the local channel, that gets them involved.”

In 1972, Mr. Stoney co-founded the Alternate Media Center and set the precedent for all community media centers to come. He continued to share his passion and talent for filmmaking and social change with eager students at the University of Southern California, City College, Columbia University, Stanford University and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he was an emeritus professor until his death in 2012.

Over the course of his long and successful career, Mr. Stoney wrote and directed over 50 documentaries including “All My Babies” (1953), “How the Myth Was Made” (1979) and “The Uprising of '34” (1995). He also ran his own production company and served as director for the “Challenge for Change” activist documentary program at the National Film Board of Canada from 1968-1970.

To celebrate his legacy on what would have been his 100th birthday, MNN and community media centers across the country will be airing a special documentary about his life this Friday, July 1.

Directed by Mike Hazard, “Happy Collaborator,” tells the story of George’s life as a filmmaker, teacher and activist. The documentary includes clips from 17 films, interviews with collaborators who’ve worked with George over the years and intimate recordings with him.

Learn about George Stoney’s contributions to the public access community by watching “Happy Collaborator” on MNN's YouTube Channel.