Judith Vecchione

 Media Maker
Examiner Club Editor for Website Content

Judith Vecchione began work at GBH Boston as a news captioner in the unit that created captioning for the hearing-impaired. The technology was primitive, but it gave her a chance to see the range of work that GBH was developing, and she moved from there to Nova, the first of the station’s iconic documentary series.

In the years since, as she became a producer-director-writer and then an executive producer, Judith contributed to many of GBH’s major documentary series, including the award-winning Vietnam: A Television History and films for American Experience and Frontline.  She left GBH to become senior producer and producer on the landmark series Eyes on the Prize, and returned to GBH as executive producer for more national PBS projects, including Americas, Discovering Women, and Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. 

She has also executive produced award-winning specials for PBS and on digital platforms, working for GBH and as an independent, on a wide range of themes including:  

• Asian history and current events: The China In Revolution Trilogy, Tug of War: The Story of Taiwan, Denise Ho: Becoming the Song

• American and Latin American history: Crisis in Central America, Mary Pickford, Eleanor Roosevelt, The Longoria Affair, American Veteran

• Health and the environment: Fire Wars, Death by Design, Blood Sugar Rising

• Ability and disability: Medal Quest: American Athletes and the Paralympic Games, Ice Warriors: USA Sled Hockey

Vecchione also works as senior editorial advisor to WORLD Channel, a national public media platform that presents unique nonfiction programming from established and emerging filmmakers, focusing on untold stories and underrepresented communities.  

From 2001 to 2017, in addition to her film work, Judith originated and led the CPB/PBS Producers Workshop and the Next Generation Leadership program, both designed to develop new, diverse voices for public media.  Over 250 media makers participated, and graduates continue to create programming that wins top awards and to take leadership roles at public media organizations.

Judith’s work has won multiple awards, including the national Emmy, DuPont-Columbia Journalism Gold Baton Award and Trustees Award, Polk Award, George Foster Peabody Award, Eric Barnouw Award of the Organization of American Historians, Davey Award, CINE Golden Eagle, Christopher Spirit Award, Imagen Award, W3 Award, Columbus International Film & Video Festival’s Edgar Dale Screenwriting Award, and Chicago Film Festival Award, among others.  She and her teams have also been nominated for many other awards, including the Ambies (for the American Veteran podcast) and the Oscar (for Eyes on the Prize). 

HIGHLIGHTS:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/blood-sugar-rising/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/eyesontheprize/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/medal-quest/ice-warriors/