OWN Documentary Club Continues Oprah’s Legacy

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is debuting the special Life 2.0 tomorrow as part of its monthly feature-documentary strand. As Lisa Erspamer, the executive VP of production and development at the channel, tellsTV Real Weekly , the OWN Documentary Club is focused on showcasing true stories with emotionally gripping and universally important themes.

With Oprah’s Book Club, Oprah Winfrey inspired millions of her talk-show viewers to take part in reading and literary discussions. Winfrey was looking to spark a similar success when she launched the OWN Documentary Club through her joint-venture network OWN this May.

"Oprah has always been a fan of documentaries," explains Lisa Erspamer, the executive VP of production and development at OWN. "All of us [at OWN] admire what these filmmakers go through to tell these real-life stories. There’s nothing like  the passion that it takes to put all your money and all your time into a project that you are desperate for the world to see. We really wanted to support this unique group of artists in a big way.

"So, Oprah decided that if she could do what she did for books on The Oprah Winfrey Show for documentaries on OWN, that would be a great extension," adds Erspamer. "That’s how the OWN Documentary Club came to life."

The OWN Documentary Club kicked off with the world TV premiere of Becoming Chaz, chronicling Chaz Bono’s transition from female to male and the impact on his family and girlfriend. The documentary went on to score three Primetime Emmy nominations: Outstanding Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming.

Erspamer says that Becoming Chaz is the perfect example of the type of stories OWN is looking to tell through its Documentary Club, focused on the experiences of real people that are compelling for viewers. "Someone internally coined the phrase ‘Real Life Well Told;’ that has been our key filter for the documentaries that we’re seeking for this first round," Erspamer notes.

"When we watch the films, we’re looking for films that either really make you think, get you talking or tell a story that inspires you to live differently, think differently," she adds. Such was the case with Serving Life, the first OWN original documentary to air on the network, narrated and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker.

Indeed, the Club has attracted a wealth of big-name talent to its roster, including Rosie O’Donnell, who takes part in selecting key films and hosting specials for docs that inspire deeper conversations following their on-air premiere. "Rosie is our chief curator," Erspamer explains. "Thank God, because Rosie is documentary obsessed! Oprah loves documentaries, and I love documentaries, but then you put Rosie into the mix and she takes it to a whole new level. She’s very, very passionate about these films and loves them like they’re children."

Other celebrities attached to OWN docs include Gabriel Byrne with Tent City, exploring homelessness in Nashville, Tennessee, and Mariel Hemingway with Seven Suicides, looking at her family’s legacy of depression and suicide. Whitaker’s Serving Life, Byrne’s Tent City and Hemingway’s Seven Suicides are OWN originals, while the rest of the lineup are acquired films that are premiering on the channel. Erspamer says it’s a goal of the network’s to provide emerging talent with a platform to showcase their work.

Erspamer discusses the upcoming lineup, the selection process and how to pitch a project for the OWN Documentary Club,

here

. Please

click through

to continue reading.