Kennedy
A Documentary Series by Blackbird Pictures, RadicalMedia, and The HISTORY Channel
“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”
— John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
Going “beyond the best-known photos and film clips to create something that feels fresh” (LA Times), Kennedy is an eight-part documentary series exploring the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. Blackbird Pictures, in partnership with RadicalMedia and The HISTORY Channel, take an intimate look into JFK’s early years, experience in the war, journey onto the political scene, and his thousand-day presidency.
About
Since his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy, whom family and friends always called Jack, has been the stuff of legend and mythology. This series aims to cut through the myths, peer into who JFK was at his core, follow his ascent through the 1940s and ‘50s, and explore his all-too-brief presidency. The youngest person ever elected President, Kennedy was uniquely capable of inspiring Americans to reach greater heights, to dream bigger dreams.
Kennedy survived illnesses that nearly killed him more than once, and he steered his nation through crises at the height of the Cold War. His story is a sweeping American epic, full of fascinating tales, scandals, and larger-than-life characters. John F. Kennedy was the tragic figure who lost his life before he could finish his work. But he was far more than that. He was a complex person, someone who had significant flaws and who made significant mistakes before and during his White House years. His complicated past often receives short shift as historians focus on his presidency. This series seeks to provide a deeper understanding of John F. Kennedy, who he was, where he came from, and how his legacy applies to the world of today.
The series was created by Ashton Gleckman, who is also the writer and director behind all of the series’ eight episodes.
Executive Produced by Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick of RadicalMedia.
The music for the series is composed by Gleckman alongside Michael Frankenberger (We Shall Not Die Now) and Cameron Moody (Jordan Peele’s NOPE).
Interviewees
Blackbird Pictures interviewed more than 70 people across the United States for Kennedy. They include:
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (niece to President John F. Kennedy)
Anthony Shriver (nephew to President John F. Kennedy)
Larry Sabato (founder and director, Center for Politics, University of Virginia, and author, The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy)
Jeff Shesol (speechwriter to President Clinton and author, Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War)
Lawrence J. Haas (former senior White House official and author, The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire)
The Honorable Richard Neal (member, U.S. House, from Massachusetts)
Conan O’Brien (TV personality and board member, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation)
Douglas Brinkley (author, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race)
Sid Davis (press reporter for JFK White House (1961-1963)
David Nasaw (author, The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy)
Clayborne Carson (editor, Dr. Martin Luther King Papers)
Ramond Arsenault (author, Freedom Riders)
Timothy Naftali (presidential historian, CNN commentator, and author, One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro, and Kennedy, 1958-1964: The Secret History of the Cuban Missile Crisis)
Jeff Greenfield (aide, Robert F. Kennedy)
Douglas Elmendorf (Dean of Faculty and Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School)
Pierce Allman (witness to JFK assassination, Dealey Plaza, Dallas)
Adam Frankel (former speechwriter for President Obama)
Gillian Sorensen (widow of JFK’s speechwriter and special counsel, Ted Sorensen)