Abamedia produces television, film, new media, and archival properties for
the global marketplace -- creations that intrigue the mind, touch the heart,
and uplift the human spirit.
Just as a good cameraman uses a tripod for stability, Abamedia stands on
three points. An aba is a navigational instrument used
by 19th century seafarers to chart their ways in unexplored territory. The
initials ABA are from our trademark "Always Be Analog" --
expressing our belief in the importance of remaining human in the digital
age. Finally, "aba" from "abacus" (the analog counting
device) represents Abamedia's focus on the financial objectives of the business.
Together these three points symbolize Abamedia's exploration of the
new worlds of digital media technology with the one-on-one scale of analog
relations and financial responsibility.
J. Mitchell Johnson
President and CEO
Fort Worth
Steven Leibman
Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs
Los Angeles
Nancy L. Marchant
Executive Vice President
Fort Worth
Gábor Beszterczey, PhD
Director of European Business Development
London
Susan E. Bell
Director of New Media
Fort Worth
Maria Planey, PhD
Archive Consultant
Dallas
Lyn Downing
Production Executive
Fort Worth
Mariem Harris
Legal Counsel
Fort Worth
Volodia Ryabinski
Production Assistant
Moscow
Film and Computer World (KIKOM)
A Russian Regional Non-Commercial Organization
Yuri Bukhshtab, PhD
Moscow
Igor Grigoriev
Moscow
Natalia Evteeva, PhD
Moscow
Natalia Baigarova, PhD
Moscow
For almost two decades, J. Mitchell Johnson, president and CEO of Abamedia, has been an award-winning producer of documentary, current affairs and special interest programming for international film and television. Mr. Johnson graduated with a master's degree from the University of Southern California Cinema School, and became the assistant to four-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Charles Guggenheim. In addition to his documentary work, Mr. Johnson served as the executive producer of the 1984 Democratic Presidential campaign television commercials and the feature film for the Democratic National Convention. In addition, Mr. Johnson has produced the first US/Russian current affairs series, Everybody's Talking (ABC News –Ostankino/ORT Russia); and the popular Fodor's Travel Videos, and has served as a consultant to ABC/Capitol Cities and Random House.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based company is the official international trade representative for the Russian State Film and Photo Archive at Krasnogorsk. In 1996 Abamedia established the Archive Media Project (AMP), a Russian-American partnership through funding by USAID and the Internews Network. See our AMP page for biographical information.
Abamedia's ROCK project – Russian Online Culture and Knowledge – seeks to provide to a worldwide audience the ultimate collection of Russian images, text, and databases, as well as providing a method for meaningful exchange between academics, research institutions, and individuals via the Internet. Moscow State University has signed on as the Russian base of operations, with participation of advisors from Yale University, Indiana University, the Russian State Library, The Brookings Institution, the Open Society Institute, The Woodrow Wilson Center, and Internews.
The company's independent film division has several projects in development, and is currently in pre-production on its first theatrical presentation, Mount Analogue, based on the French literary classic by René Daumal.
The Abamedia library features award-winning documentaries, including: The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (PBS/A&E); Lili (PBS, ORF-Austria/New Zealand/Hungary); six film shorts on Sesame Street (Children's Television Workshop); and Moses Pendleton on Moses Pendleton (A&E) - which won France's Grand Prize for Script at the Festival International Du Film D'art, the Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and 10 other international awards.
Home - Russian Archive - Abamedia - The Gallery - Contact Us