Jeff Swimmer
- Education:
- University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts
Northwestern University, Master of Science
Biography
Jeff Swimmer is an award-winning documentary producer, director and author. He has been a full-time professor at Dodge College since 2008, where he teaches a wide range of classroom and field-based documentary production and history courses.
Swimmer has led students on documentary filmmaking expeditions to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Cuba, the South Island of New Zealand and Peru’s Machu Pichu, among many others.
His extensive documentary production career includes numerous independent films aimed at the festival circuit, including UnRaveling (2021), Golden State of Mind: The Storytelling Genius of Huell Howser (2014) and many others.
Swimmer was the co-producer and co-writer on his most recent production, the four-part series The Synanon Fix, which explored a notorious cult. It premiered at Sundance in January 2024 and on HBO/Max in April 2024.
He has also produced, directed and written numerous documentaries for commercial broadcasters including National Geographic, BBC, PBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, NBC, Arte (France/Germany), Bravo and many others. He was the supervising producer on CNN’s Northern Ireland: Dying for Peace, which won a Dupont Award in Documentary Production.
Swimmer is also an active Fulbright Scholar, and in that capacity has taught documentary production courses at universities in Sao Paolo, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Rome, Italy; and Bern, Switzerland. Domestically, he has conducted lectures and multi-day documentary workshops at Tulane University, the University of Hawaii, UCLA and others.
His documentary textbook, Behind the Scenes of the Greatest (True) Stories Ever Told is widely used in documentary programs in films across the United States.
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Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications
- "The Synanon Fix," the 4-part series on which I was a Producer and Writer, premiered on HBO/Max on April 1, 2024.
- I began in Fall 2024 on Pre-Production for the television series "Lumberjills," about female lumberjacks. I will serve as a Producer on the series.
- "The Synanon Fix," a 4-part series for HBO/Max on which I served as Producer and Writer, enjoyed its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024.
- In Spring 2023 we were in full-time editing mode on the HBO series, and I worked closely with the whole Post-Production team on the script of the 4-part series.
- In Fall 2022 we did most all of the production for the 4-hour HBO series, "The Synanon Fix," on which I worked as Writer and Co-Producer. During production, I wrangled subjects, wrote questions for the interviewees and conducted interviews. I also chose Interview Selects and prepped material for the editors.
- In Spring 2022, I finished Directing and Producing an independent documentary called "Unraveling," and we began to travel the festival circuit with the film. I had worked on the project since March 2021. It has enjoyed a very successful run on the film festival circuit, and I attended several such events to discuss the film with audiences.
- Finished directing indepedendent doc "Unraveling" in Spring 2021, and launched festival, distribution deals for film.
- HBO agreed to fund the feature documentary I am producing about the Synanon cult.
- Produced and directed a documentary about Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa's cross-border raids into New Mexican border towns at the turn of the 19th century, and their impact on these areas today.
- For the 3rd year in a row, I oversaw the production of 6 short documentaries about the Sikh diaspora, involving 3 Faculty and 14 students. I led the group on a filmmaking trip to the U.K., overseeing the students at all levels of Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production. The films will be shown at the Sikhlens Festival in November 2017.
- Produced, Directed and Wrote "Doctor Ji," a 30-minute documentary aimed at public television distribution, about a well-known Sikh-American guru and philosopher.
- For the 2nd year in a row, I oversaw the production of 4 short documentary films around the world exploring the Sikh diaspora, for the Sikhlens film festival in November 2016.
- Supervised production of documentary with 6 Chapman students, from across multiple departments, of a short film about the work of the Orange Country District Attorney's anti-trafficking unit. Film is now widely used in the DA's office's public outreach campaign.
- Supervised production of 4 short documentary films, working with 10 current Dodge College students and several alums, about the accomplishments of the Sikh Indian Diaspora. FIlms will screen at the Sikhlens Arts and Film Festival in November, 2015.
- "A Golden State of Mind: The Storytelling Genius of Huell Howser" - Jeff Swimmer was Director, Producer and Writer. 1-Hour. Aired on PBS in California and nationally, and won numerous festival awards, including Best Documentary at Sacramento Film Festival.
- **Developed and began writing book for publication: "Documentary Case Studies." Book closely examines the most successful and challenging films made by the world's leading documentary filmmakers, exploring how they were conceived, produced and how challenges were overcome during the entire process. Expect publication in Summer 2012.
- **Organized filming and creation of short documentary about the Heritage Museum of Orange County, for Judge Jim Gray. May 2010. Oversaw student filmmakers creating the short film.