Skip Blumberg

Skip Blumberg, born October 10, 1947 is an Emmy award-winning video and TV director/producer, filmmaker, camera journalist, artist, and video pioneer who has made hundreds of productions over his 50-year career including on the web with 3,000,000+ views, on www.SkipBlumberg.com and MoreArtistsMovies.com. He has permanent collections in the Museum of Modern Art and other U.S. and European museums as well as on Showtime, PBS, Disney Channel, National Geographic TV, and TV channels internationally.

Well-known for his contributions to the world of documentary filmmaking, Blumberg is celebrated for capturing real, heartfelt moments. Blumberg began his career in the 1970s thanks to the Sony Portapak—a lightweight video camera—which he could use to easily explore places and stories that were off the beaten path. This new technology allowed him to capture raw, unscripted moments that felt alive and immediate.

Early in his career, Blumberg joined Videofreex, a group of video artists who believed in putting media tools into the hands of everyday people. This experience shaped his lifelong passion for telling grassroots stories and giving a voice to those who might not otherwise be heard.

Skip Blumberg’s films are full of life, spontaneity, and humor. He has a way of showcasing the beauty in everyday moments and the richness of different cultures. Whether he’s highlighting the talents of street performers or diving into the lives of ordinary people, his work feels personal and full of heart.

In 1976, Blumberg’s film When I Was a Worker Like Lavern blended a look at mail-order distribution with a candid take on management and labor dynamics, showcasing his personal documentary style early in his career. Two years later, he created For a Moment You Fly, an informal portrait of a one-ring circus in New York City that emphasized smaller-scale, human-focused performances, aligning with his own "human-sized" video style as an alternative to mainstream television.

Skip BlumbergMY HERO

In 1980, he directed Contests USA, a three-part documentary covering events like summer ski jumping, an ugly dog contest, and a musical saw festival. These films celebrated the unique and extraordinary in ordinary lives. A year later, Pick Up Your Feet: The Double Dutch Show (1981) spotlighted young competitors in the Double Dutch Championship in New York City, celebrating urban youth culture and the art of the sport.

Blumberg has also made a big impact on public television. Since 1988, he has created over 75 segments for Sesame Street, bringing creativity and energy to children’s programming. In 1991, he produced four unique IDs for Nick at Nite, incorporating pixelation and rotoscoping techniques. His short film Cookie Girl in the Hot Zone (2001) told the inspiring story of 12-year-old Jemma Brown, who baked cookies for firefighters in the days following the September 11 attacks. He has also worked on Alive from Off Center, a series that mixed experimental video art with accessible storytelling.

Blumberg also believes in giving back to his community. His odyssey to reopen the northern section of City Hall Park in New York began in the 1990s with a neighborhood coalition he helped to form called The Friends of City Hall Park. Their mission was to assure public access to the park (the park is nine acres but only one was publicly accessible), run volunteer events, and advocate for more funds. The organization pushed for the 1999 renovation and the reopening of the northern section of the park in 2006. The group keeps a running list of maintenance issues and compiles them in a regular “state of the park” report and hosts gardening events throughout the year.

Skip Blumberg and MY HERO

In 1994 working with Emmy award-winning filmmakers Tom Weinberg, Rita Stern and Joel Cohen, Skip Blumberg collaborated with Jeanne Myers to produce a TV Pilot for a MY HERO TV Series with author Michael Crichton, teacher Laurel Greenber and The Mayor and Fireman of NYC and Laguna Beach Life Guards. The producers were told the pilot was "great" by TV executives but that it was not commercially viable. You can see the Pilot here: myhero.com/film_MY_HERO_PILOT.

MY HEROWendy Apple & Skip Blumberg

Later, Blumberg again collaborated with MY HERO as part of a U.S. State Department Global Arts Exchange grant. As the Artistic Director of the grant, he conducted digital arts workshops for educators, artists and students on behalf of MY HERO in Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Senegal, Herzegovina, and Montenegro. There he and Tony Mendoza taught locals how to create hero videos and organized shows, combining mentorship, teaching, and filmmaking.

Said Jeanne Meyers Co-founder and Director, The MY HERO Project:

Skip Blumberg is a true pioneer. He has been the master of video portraits for over three decades. His love of movement, light, art, nature and sound make his work stand the test of time. His expert camera and editing techniques capture slices of life; his talent for communication, humor and compassion make him a true master digital storyteller. I am so pleased that Skip Blumberg has shared his vision, work and lesson plans with MY HERO.

In 2007, MY HERO presented Skip with a Special Hero Award at the MY HERO International Film Festival and he continued to submit films annually and was even commissioned to create 8 plus films about heroes for the MY HERO Library. See them all here: myhero.com/org_Skip-Blumbergs-Heroes

MY HEROSkip Blumberg

In an interview at the 2024 MY HERO Film Festival, Blumberg emphasized the value of mentoring in media and storytelling, explaining, "I'm a big believer in learning by doing and making mistakes and pushing the mistakes to create your own style." He highlighted the role of mentors in teaching not only technical skills but also "values and teaching strategies to be successful as a professional career." On the importance of hero-centric storytelling, Skip said, "Look, the world right now is in rough shape. Wars should be obsolete. It's ridiculous. There shouldn't be wars. Climate change... We need more, better leaders. And so Hero Videos is a route to do that." He believes starting hero storytelling in primary school can significantly impact children as they develop their skills and understanding.

He also underscored the need to engage teachers, remarking, "One thing that MY HERO does that's great is they engage teachers. Training the teachers has more of an impact than individual students." Reflecting on his role as a mentor, Skip shared his broader perspective: "Even though we have smartphones, I think that our species is not that smart. We're still learning how to do what's right." He stressed the importance of kindness and the moral obligation to help others: "In the richest country in the world, we should be able to help everybody... There’s no reason for people to be suffering so much." Concluding with a call for systemic change, he advocated for wealth redistribution: "Nobody needs $500 million... there should be a tax on wealth. We should take it from them and give it to MY HERO!"

Over the years, Skip Blumberg has earned plenty of recognition for his work, including an Emmy Award. But perhaps his greatest achievement is the way he’s inspired other filmmakers and artists to embrace authenticity and innovation and we at MY HERO are very grateful for this and for his continued support our mission. 

Today, we can see Blumberg’s influence everywhere—from DIY filmmaking to the handheld, documentary-style videos that fill our social media feeds. He’s always believed in the power of real, unscripted moments, and that belief continues to resonate. Blumberg’s work reminds us that everyone has a story worth sharing. By capturing life in its truest form, he’s helped us see the world’s beauty, complexity, and connection.