Andrew Ferrett

For more than a decade, director and producer Andrew Ferrett has been making award-winning films that document the intersections of history and place. With History Making Productions, Ferrett directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the popular documentary series Philadelphia: The Great Experiment, which aired from 2011 to 2019 on WPVI-TV (ABC). Ferrett and his collaborators set out to create an inclusive and bold original narrative that illuminated Philadelphia's singular role in American history and society. Under Ferrett's direction, Philadelphia: The Great Experiment won more than a dozen Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, including wins for Best Writing and Best Documentary. The Philadelphia Inquirer hailed the series as "must viewing" and "exciting, invigorating, alive," and it was the most watched program on television every time it aired. Ferrett's additional film credits include the feature-length documentary Before Hollywood, which explored the connected lives of early cinema pioneers. Before Hollywood premiered at the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2017 and received several broadcasts on public television. In 2018, Ferrett co-directed Sisters In Freedom, which brought new attention to the 19th century women who fought to abolish slavery. Sisters In Freedom was widely screened in community centers across Philadelphia before premiering on public television. Before Hollywood and Sisters In Freedom were honored with consecutive Mid-Atlantic Emmy wins in the Best Documentary category in 2018 and 2019. Ferrett graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. Previous film credits include work with Insignia Films, Artifact Pictures, the League of Women Voters, Urban Engineers, Hidden City Philadelphia, and the Public Interest Law Center. With American Experiment, Ferrett hopes to deepen our national conversation about the past by drawing wide attention to Philadelphia's profound, inspiring, and conflicted history.