The Marin Post

The Voice of the Community

Contributor Profile

Don Schwartz

Actor/Journalist/Personal Historian
Larkspur, California

My Website

Don is certified life coach, personal historian, and actor. You may contact Don and learn about his services via:

Don Schwartz Services

He holds BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology and counseling.

Don's journalistic work has been published since 1977. With more than 500 articles published in journals and magazines, he has co-written a film script and television series treatment.

Don is a regular guest on From The Heart Production’s BlogTalkRadio program, “Dissecting Docs: What's Hot with Don Schwartz and Carole Dean.”

His book, Telling Their Own Stories: Conversations with Documentary Filmmakers, is available from Amazon in Kindle or softback format.

Acting professionally for over 14 years, Don has appeared in more than 36 films and television programs, provided voice-overs for 8 productions, and performs frequently as a Standardized Patient for medical schools and private medical organizations. He also performs as a plaintiff and defendant in the IADC annual Trial Academy at Stanford University.

About My Posts

My focus is on the world of documentary films. I review them and interview their filmmakers.

Although attention to 'docs' has expanded, the films and their makers deserve much more support, acknowledgement, and exposure than our society currently provides. I share my reviews not to just support a particular film, but to encourage viewers to seek out and watch documentaries.

I've been reviewing for five years. I see two to six films a week, and review most of them. I find many docs are 'evergreen'—the journalistic term for a story which is timely whenever it's published. So, I will review a doc of any release date. I only review films which I am recommending.

The documentary film world is much larger than anyone knows. The U.S. Patent and Copyright office does not have a 'documentary' category for documentary filmmakers who apply for copyright protection. A doc category would be the first step in learning how many documentaries are produced in the United States annually. This step is crucial in establishing more support for filmmakers.

The scope of topics and subjects documentary filmmakers cover is limitless. The process of seeing many films has been a profound education for yours truly. An experience I have frequently is to receive a film about an obscure subject in which I have zero interest. But, I watch it because that is my commitment, and I find great value in having done so.

I thank you for taking the time to read my work, and, especially for seeing the films!