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Josh Davidsburg

@lot1films.com
606 followers 1.9K following 174 posts

Senior journalism lecturer at @merrillcollege at UMD and a documentary filmmaker. Current documentary is about the Baltimore Banner and journalism. First documentary, Queen of the Capital is on Tubi! linktr.ee/jdavidsburg

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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 31/07/2026
Like documentaries? Then you probably don’t want the two largest privately held news archives — the lifeblood of documentary film — under the same ownership. Especially when that ownership kisses up to politicians by censoring their critics.
whbl.com
Film producers warn Paramount-Warner merger could restrict access to news archives
By Dawn Chmielewski and Paul Sandle LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, July 30 (Reuters) - A group of film producers has urged the British culture minister to intervene in the proposed merger of Paramount Skyda...
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 31/07/2026
the fundraiser's paradox: As a doc filmmaker, you need money to afford help, you need help to raise money. how I used Claude to get unstuck: open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/f...
open.substack.com
Fundraiser's Paradox
I was skeptical of AI. Then I let Claude push me past my fundraising imposter syndrome
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 04/07/2026
July 4 is about the ideals of our country and the best it can be. I’ve spent my career believing #documentaries and #journalism can help get us there. Here’s a list of documentaries. Almost one for each amendment in the Bill of Rights. Did I miss anything? open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/o...
open.substack.com
One Documentary per Amendment. Almost.
What to Watch on the 4th (Besides Fireworks)
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 28/06/2026
Eight years ago this week, five journalists were killed at the Capital Gazette. Rob Hiaasen had donated to my first film just months before. He wrote back two words: “Art lives.” I think about that every time I pick up a camera. substack.com/@lot1/note/c...
substack.com
Josh Davidsburg (@lot1)
Sunday is the eighth anniversary of the Capital Gazette shooting. I’m thinking about Rob Hiaasen, who once told me “Art lives!” and why I press on with A Banner Year. If you care about local news, th...
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 03/06/2026
open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/i...
open.substack.com
In My Blood
Making a documentary about journalism and the man who taught me why it matters
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 02/06/2026
My dad covered Vietnam for NBC. I made a #documentary about a #Baltimore startup news organization. This week's substack post is about how those two things connect. lot1.substack.com/p/in-my-bloo...
lot1.substack.com
In My Blood
Making a documentary about journalism and the man who taught me why it matters
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 27/05/2026
Post-production isn't just editing. I'm still conducting interviews, filming B-roll at 5am, and riding the light rail for footage. A look at what 'finishing' a #documentary actually looks like: open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/p...
open.substack.com
Pickup Interviews
Just Because Production is Done, Doesn't Mean Production is Done
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
UAM-UMD @uam-umd.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
This. Is. Just. 🔥🔥! Maryland's faculty are never going to stop fighting until we all get the collective bargaining rights we deserve. And our Maryland communities support us! @senbillferg.bsky.social, @mddems.bsky.social, @mdhousedems.bsky.social, help us get SB6/HB106 passed this session!
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 04/02/2026
“It’s just hard to watch this discourse and the amount of money that [Amazon MGM] poured in while all of our other funding sources are drying up.” The ‘Melania’ #documentary cost $75 million. It’s made $7 million so far. www.ms.now/news/melania...
ms.now
The ‘Melania’ documentary cost $75 million. It's made $7 million so far.
Is the new documentary on the first lady a financial success or a box office flop? It depends on who’s grading.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 02/02/2026
As a doc filmmaker, one of the most frustrating things about the $75 mil #Melaniadocumentary price tag is at the same time, watching the government dismantle normal funding sources for independent docs, especially the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 20/01/2026
Is Daniel Radcliffe playing me in this show?!
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 07/01/2026
18 years ago, the #Ravens announced a new coach. I was freelancing at WBAL-TV so my photojournalist and I ran out to ESPN Zone to talk to fans. It's crazy to see what the fans said about #Harbaugh then. I just dug up my old story.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 19/12/2025
Woke up super early for these! These are screengrabs of locator shots for my upcoming documentary about The #Baltimore Banner. A Banner Year is in post production right now. More updates soon! #documentary #filmmaking
Domino sugar sign before sunrise in baltimore Cranes with lights over water City scenic sunrise The Maryland Aquarium before sunrise
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 29/11/2025
How streaming elevated (and ruined) documentaries. Fascinating read: open.substack.com/pub/statsign...
open.substack.com
How Streaming Elevated (and Ruined) Documentaries: A Statistical Analysis
Unpacking streaming's embrace and erosion of non-fiction storytelling.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 29/11/2025
🎥New Update on my new #documentary “A Banner Year🔥 I included a fantastic sound bite from David Simon. He talks about where they got the idea of the policeman’s wake in the bar in “The Wire”. Spoiler: it didn’t originate with the police in real life. open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/a...
open.substack.com
A Thankful Update
And an Amazing Sound Bite from David Simon (Creator of HBO's The Wire)
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 28/11/2025
🎥New Update on my new #documentary🔥 A lot happened this year! I included a fantastic sound bite from David Simon. He talks about where they got the idea of the policeman’s wake in the bar in “The Wire”. Spoiler: it didn’t originate with the police in real life open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/a...
Reporter typing on a laptop sitting while people stand around her
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
This evening, I stood with the hardworking New Yorkers of CWA District 1 and the NewsGuild of New York as they fight for fair treatment from Conde Nast. I'll always support our unions and our workers.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 28/10/2025
More screenshots! I wanted to do this documentary to highlight the immense dedication journalists have in their quest for truth. From investigative teams to covering city elections, the public often doesn’t see the challenges journalists face just to hit publish.
Reporter holding a notebook Reporter interviewing a politician on a couch Three reporters standing on the side of the roadA reporter on the phone
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 21/10/2025
🎥 One of the most fascinating parts of filming A Banner Year was capturing the incredible skill of reporters as they navigated conversations with sources on and off the record. Watching journalists persuade their sources to share their stories was insightful.
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Silky @silkyweineck.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
this rocks. when indiana edu killed the student newspaper, Purdue stepped up, printed the forbidden issue, drove it to Bloomington and stocked the boxes.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 13/10/2025
🎥I’m still amazed at the incredible access the journalists granted me for A Banner Year. 📰✨ This documentary will show how quintessential journalism comes together and emphasizes the critical importance of the truth. From the Preakness to the Key Bridge collapse. #journalism #filmmaking
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 10/10/2025
I found some pictures of my dad, Lou Davis, reporting, including one with Walter Cronkite and one me! 📸 This is why my new documentary, A Banner Year, means so much. This project is deeply personal. My dad passed away in 2016 but his legacy lives on! 🎥📽️ #Documentary #Journalism #WalterCronkite
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 04/10/2025
From late nights crunching out a story after the Key Bridge Collapse, to braving Preakness, our cameras followed The Baltimore Banner reporters on the biggest stories of last year. 🎥 Here are a few more screenshots from our #documentary about #journalism in #Baltimore, "A Banner Year."
Reporter standing behind a crowd Reporter sitting at a table interviewing someone Photographer taking pictures of horses Reporter interviewing someone with their phone
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 22/09/2025
In a week that has been a disaster for the #FirstAmendment, it's important to understand why it's so vital. My new #documentary in post production follows reporters at the Baltimore Banner. It is about how crucial and hard #journalism is. Here are a few screenshots.
Reporter holding her phone next to a car A reporter holding an umbrella interviewing someone A reporter interviewing Wes Moore. Both are sitting in chairs A reporter kneeling down and interviewing a child.
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Nicole Foy @nicolefoy.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Reminder: @propublica.org is still tracking how immigration agents use force when they make arrests. Do you have video or other documentation of forceful or violent arrests by immigration agents that we should review? Please reach out. email: nicole.foy@propublica.org Signal: @nicolefoy.27
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 02/09/2025
A couple of screenshots from my documentary a Banner Year. We just started post production, thanks to the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund. #documentary #documentaryfilmmaking #filmmaking
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 01/09/2025
Started post production on my #documentary this week! Read all about it. open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/s...
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 29/08/2025
New update on my documentary A Banner Year! We officially started post production! Read all about It! open.substack.com/pub/lot1/p/s...
open.substack.com
Starting the Edit
Big News about Post Production
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 19/08/2025
Sucked out by Super drag
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 14/08/2025
I can’t help thinking of Bridesmaids when I see the #andjustlikethat thumbnail.
The thumbnail to and just like that Scene from bridesmaids showing maya rudolf in the street
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Dana Hull @danahull.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Investigative reporting has never been more important and AI is not going to file the records request, make all the phone cakks and knock on the door
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 10/07/2025
Big, breaking news! A Banner Year, my new documentary about the Baltimore Banner, was accepted into the Saul Zaent Innovation Fund’s new pilot editor-in-residence program! We start full time in August! #documentary
Index cards that say summer 2023 and act 1Three men in an edit bayAn edit bay with computers
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 01/07/2025
I didn’t know I needed this reboot, but this looks amazing. And it’s @edgarwright.bsky.social youtu.be/KD18ddeFuyM?...
youtu.be
The Running Man | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) - Edgar Wright, Glen Powell
YouTube video by Paramount Pictures
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 29/06/2025
1/4 🧵 – I think we’re seeing iceberg of local tv news with the New York City election. There’s been reporting that It was big ad spend vs social media video. Mamdani connected through vertical, personal TikToks and Reels while Cuomo’s coffers focused on tv ads. Political advertising keeps…
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 25/06/2025
Support one of the coolest film festivals on the planet! Not Film Fest www.kickstarter.com/projects/nff...
kickstarter.com
Not Film Fest
The experiential film festival that Mashable called "The Sundance of Italy"
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 24/06/2025
The index card wall is up! Starting post on my documentary: Banner Year!
Index cards on a wall laying out scenesAn edit suite The team!
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 17/06/2025
Support indie film! This film festival was amazing to Queen of the Capital Not Film Fest www.kickstarter.com/projects/nff...
kickstarter.com
Not Film Fest
The experiential film festival that Mashable called "The Sundance of Italy"
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Adam Rose @adamrose.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
JOURNALISTS IN LA or COVERING FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT: Press rights groups are trying to coordinate responses to unlawful attacks by federal officers against journalists during protests. If you can help ID individuals in charge of operations (incident commander, etc.) & contact info please LMK.
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Jason Kint @kint.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Amazing. Respect the lede.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 27/05/2025
This is fun Anthropic's new AI model shows ability to deceive and blackmail www.axios.com/2025/05/23/a...
axios.com
Anthropic's new AI model shows ability to deceive and blackmail
Claude 4 Opus showed willingness to deceive to preserve its existence in safety testing.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 27/05/2025
Here’s my prediction- ai only videos are going to explode on YouTube and then fail because people want authenticity on that platform (the you in YouTube). It’ll work on instagram reels because everything is fake there anyway, but what makes YouTube special is the people on it.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 23/05/2025
Well this sucks A24 Scales Back Documentary Division, Lays Off Five variety.com/2025/film/ne...
variety.com
A24 Scales Back Documentary Division, Lays Off Five
A24 has shut down its documentary film division in the wake of a difficult market for non-fiction fare.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 21/05/2025
20 minutes of Norm entering Cheers. RIP youtu.be/VXED2AVlbR0?...
youtu.be
Cheers | Every Time Norm Peterson Enters the Bar
YouTube video by Peacock
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 18/04/2025
A film that takes place where you’re from Saint Elmo’s Fire (Go terps!)
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 23/03/2025
Schmigadoon! > wicked
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Reposted by Josh Davidsburg
Ben Stiller @benstiller.redhour.com · 20/03/2025
Finale Day. film still #66 Adam with balloons. #severance
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 21/03/2025
#severance no notes. Stuck the landing. What a fucking end.
media.tenor.com
a gymnast is doing a handstand on a bar in front of a sign that says section b
ALT: a gymnast is doing a handstand on a bar in front of a sign that says section b
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 17/03/2025
This is great youtube.com/watch?v=r01f...
youtube.com
Iconic movie trailers, explained by a trailer editor
YouTube video by Vox
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 28/02/2025
That Severance episode was one of the best episodes of TV.
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Josh Davidsburg @lot1films.com · 21/02/2025
vies you've watched more than 6 times, using GIFs only
media.tenor.com
a man in a gray jacket is jumping in the air in a store
Alt: a man in a gray jacket is jumping in the air in a store
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