Don Barton

Donald E. (Don) Barton is a film producer and director located in Jacksonville, Florida. He is best known internationally for his 1971 feature film ZAAT which was filmed entirely in and around Jacksonville, Florida. This feature is only one aspect of his long career in the film industry, much of which was spent participating in the development of the Motion Picture industry for the state of Florida. In 2009 Mr. Barton was honored by his peers and the City of Jacksonville for his significant contributions to the Jacksonville Film Industry. He and Gerden Russell formed the Russell-Barton Film Company in 1955 and were the first company in the state to process and print 16mm black and white film. Since then Mr. Barton has focused his attention on the production of documentaries, training films and TV commercials. The State of Florida's first National Television commercial shown on the Today Show was written and produced by Barton. Many scenes focus on Northeast Florida with all Florida talent. The second consideration for the Jacksonville award was Mr. Barton's statewide involvement in building the industry. He is co-founder of the Florida Motion Picture and Television Production Association. He collaborated with the Florida Council of One Hundred to bring the industry's professionals together for the Golden Sun Award. Over 1,000 attended the event in Miami Beach to recognize Rose Marie of the Dick Van Dyke Show, and Florida's Governor, Claude Kirk. He won numerous awards for excellence in documentary production. His "Jacksonville Story" was selected by the State Department and NBC as the only film of an American city to be shown at the American Exhibit in Moscow when the Iron Curtain was partially lifted. He also received the Freedom Foundation's Award for this film. Another Barton product, "Man Returns to the Sea", was selected by CINE for showing at the Berlin, Edinburgh and Venice Film Festivals. His bicentennial movie "Florida on My Mind", starring Leif Erickson, won several national awards for excellence and was selected by the USIA for distribution world-wide. In 1980, the Barton produced movie "Fitness Fever", featuring sportscaster Pat Summerall, won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award. This entitled it to be shown at international film festivals as a representative of the U.S.A. Mr. Barton is a true North Florida producer. Mr. Barton backed this position by producing a creature feature called "ZAAT" about a mad scientist who turned himself into a catfish monster. The locations, production crew, and talent teamed up to produce a classic movie. This was recently recognized by Turner Classic Movies when ZAAT was booked on the Network the day before Halloween in 2009. Now retired, Mr. Barton's next project is a spoof of the movie ZAAT, the title "DARN MONSTER". The project is in a development stage. The Barton name, after these 55 years in the industry, continues with his two sons, John and Michael. The tradition of producing a quality product continues under their banner, Barton Productions, Inc.