Film Professor’s 16-Year Public Television Documentary Project Features One Person From Every State in the U.S
For 16 years, BYU Film professor Brad Barber traveled across the country asking Americans what it means to belong.
The result is “States of America,” a series of short documentaries featuring one person from each U.S. state. Created by Barber and his students between 2009 and 2025, the series explores how where people live shapes their identities and connections to their communities. This fall, it will air on national public television.
“The central question has always been, ‘What does it mean to belong to a place, and how does living in your state affect your identity?’” Barber said.
Barber began teaching at BYU in 2007 after studying film at BYU and earning an MFA from the University of Southern California. Growing up in East Tennessee, he had little exposure to documentaries before arriving at BYU. A faculty mentor introduced him to the form and encouraged him to pursue a career that combined filmmaking and teaching.
That combination offered Barber a way to make documentary production a sustainable career without sacrificing the purpose he found in the work.
“I realized that despite an unpredictable career path, I could not deny making and talking about documentary films was going to be the thing that always engaged me and kept me fulfilled and happy,” he said.
Barber’s early projects included “Beehive Stories,” another collection of short documentaries made with students, featuring one person from each of Utah’s 29 counties. The project helped establish the approach he later used for “States of America.” Although students sometimes joined him in the field, Barber filmed most of the episodes himself before returning to campus, where students edited them under his mentoring in experiential learning classes.
Together, the 50 films form what Barber describes as a mosaic of American life. The project does not attempt to identify a typical resident of any state. Instead, each episode offers an individual account of identity, place and belonging.
“Everyone wants to belong,” Barber said. “I think it’s in our DNA. We all want to connect.”
Barber’s Christian faith influences both the purpose of his films and the way he approaches their participants. He views documentary filmmaking as an opportunity to listen carefully, understand someone else’s perspective and represent that person with curiosity and humility.
“I always approach my documentary participants as people I want to learn as much as I can from and share all the best, most wise things that they say,” Barber said.
Fred Rogers has been one of the most significant influences on Barber’s work. Rogers was an ordained minister who incorporated his faith into public television in a way Barber describes as organic, inclusive and beautiful.
Barber also adopted one of Rogers’ favorite teachings as the guiding principle for “States of America.” The quotation, from Benedictine nun and peace activist Mary Lou Kownacki, reads, “There is not anyone you could not love once you have heard their story.”
That principle shaped the care Barber and his students gave to each participant’s life. Some people featured in the series have since died, and their families have asked to show the films at funerals or memorial services.
“It is a privilege to bear witness to somebody’s life,” Barber said. “Documentary can do that. It can help us understand people more spiritually.”
Barber also points to documentarian Ken Burns’ observation that the United States’ abbreviation has also always meant “us.”
“There is no ‘them,’ only ‘us,’” Barber said, quoting Burns. “I keep thinking of that aspirational idea. He’s referring to our country’s highest ideals, which I love, but that really resonated with me as a person of faith too. It’s a radical, inclusive tenet worth reaching for in any faith tradition.”
The completed series will begin airing on national public television starting November 1st and will also stream on PBS.org. Barber said public broadcasting provides an important space for documentaries intended to inform and serve audiences.
“Throughout my career, I have worked with lots of people within the public television ecosystem and have found them to be remarkably dedicated, nonpartisan and just good public servants,” Barber said. “I am very honored to have ‘States of America’ be part of it, now more than ever.”
Starting September 9th, BYU audiences will also be able to watch the series during a yearlong public screening and discussion program in the new Arts Building’s cinema, in commemoration of America’s 250th year. The free screenings, part of the Theatre and Media Arts film season and co-sponsored by the American Studies program, will take place Wednesdays at 5 p.m. Each month’s episodes will focus on a different theme, followed by conversations among faculty, film students and audience members.
For students interested in making documentaries of their own, Barber’s advice is simple: Begin now.
“Make documentary films, no matter how short and no matter what equipment you have access to,” he said. “And be a good listener.”
