Dr. Daniel Birman

Professor

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Biography

Daniel H. Birman is an award-winning documentary producer, director, and writer, known for his impactful storytelling in documentaries. He gained significant recognition for the feature documentary 'Murder Mercy: Cyntoia Brown Story' released on Netflix, which chronicles the 17-year odyssey of a 16-year-old girl arrested for murder in Tennessee. This powerful narrative explores deep social issues and the complex family history that led to her receiving a life sentence in prison. His work also includes 'Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story,' which aired on PBS Independent Lens, and the seven-part series 'Sentencing Children,' focusing on legislation concerning minors who commit crimes. Birman has produced various documentaries for networks and streaming platforms, including CuriosityStream's 'St. Patrick’s Greatest Gift' and 'The Earliest Americans.' He founded his production company in 1999 and has produced medical television programs for Lifetime Medical Television. Since 2001, he has been part of the faculty at USC Annenberg, where he developed the undergraduate and graduate documentary programs, and served as the executive producer of 'Impact,' an award-winning student documentary series.

Research Interests

Courses

JOUR 405: Non-Fiction Television JOUR 490x: Directed Research JOUR 521: Documentary Pre-Production JOUR 590: Directed Research