That's a Wrap: Demetria Kalodimos, Genuine Human Productions

For almost four decades, Demetria Kalodimos has been a household name and trusted voice in Middle Tennessee since first gracing our TV screens as a respected anchor and reporter at WSMV. She’s received the top awards in broadcast journalism, including 16 Emmys, three Edward R. Murrow Awards for investigative reporting and the Gracie Award from Alliance for Women in Media twice. Closer to home, she was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame, and readers of the Nashville Scene, one of our sister publications, consistently voted her Best Local Anchor. In the community, she has endeared herself to many by serving as an active board member and volunteer for numerous nonprofits.

Demetria has another career that also involves cameras, scripts and facts, but this time, she’s behind the scenes, making her own award-winning documentaries, music videos and other visual content through Genuine Human Productions, her documentary and production company. Her films were named official selections at the Chicago International Film Festival, where she received Honorable Mention, and the Nashville, Sidewalk, Indie Memphis, Berkeley and Barebones film festivals. The 13-episode songwriter series she produced, Barnegie Hall, aired nationally on PBS stations across the country and received a Telly Award.

In addition to her ongoing documentary work, Demetria is currently executive producer of Nashville Banner, a nonprofit digital civic news organization, and she just completed a year as professional in residence at Lipscomb University School of Communication. In September, she will serve as the moderator at our Most Powerful Women luncheon, co-hosted with another sister publication, the Nashville Post.

We wanted to learn more about Demetria’s work in documentary filmmaking and met up with her at The Filming Station, a former 1930s gas station thoughtfully and stunningly transformed with salvaged and repurposed materials. Since the renovation, it has served as the office and studio space for Genuine Human Productions and provided a creative community space to host concerts, tape broadcasts, screen films and hold events. She shared what led to her interest in documentaries, who inspires her and what we might see — or hear! — from her next.

CAREER PATH

I was privileged to work at a time when our local television station was producing “long-form” stories. A documentary was a reward you had to earn. That led to my study and appreciation for great docs.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

All of my Genuine Human [Productions] documentaries have been 100 percent funded from my own cookie jar. That has meant a lot of DIY thinking. I’ve been involved in some other productions with decent budgets that didn’t “spend” as wisely as my low-budget efforts. My first real “splash” was Friends Seen and Unseen, the story of a Nashville cult preacher.

JOB PERKS

Of course, my TV news (day) job gave me a front seat to almost 40 years of history. But the filmmaking has allowed me to spend time and go deep with people I might have never met otherwise — not to mention a fair bit of travel.

JOB CHALLENGES

The current reluctance of people to deal with journalists or filmmakers because of the misplaced notion of media dishonesty. It has kept some important doors shut.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE

Wow. I never miss an Errol Morris doc. And I appreciate great storytellers of all styles. My husband’s custom soundtracks often inform my editing and take it to a level I don’t anticipate.

SHOP LOCAL

I could not live without Goodwill dig stores. The treasured props and finishing touches I’ve gotten there for pennies on the dollar make all the difference. I have an olive green dial phone that has made it into many of my re-creations and period shots. I also scour garage sales for anyone’s cast-off home movies.

BEST ADVICE

You will not make money or get rich off of a documentary — ever. If that has you saying why bother, then you are not a documentarian.

GET INSPIRED

The programmers at the Belcourt, for discovering great work and allowing us to see it on a big screen. And my fellow creative video artists. It’s a very generous and sharing community.

PROUD MOMENT

When I screened my documentary Injurious George, about the Nashville foot stomper in 2002, we took a show of hands, and about half the room had encountered him. Shocking. Also, to see two people who had been on “opposing sides” for decades embrace after the screening of my documentary Indelible, about Marcia Trimble’s murder.

IN ANOTHER LIFE

Living on a Greek island and wanting to make a doc about it.

IN THE WORKS

A doc about a recent trip to Scotland, where my musician husband recorded for five days with some other amazing players and singers in a castle. I am also finishing a cold case podcast, which is the same process — simply an audio form of documentary.

FUTURE PLANS

If I can continue to have the time and opportunity to tell meaningful stories in a memorable way, I’d be just fine. “Real people and true stories,” that’s my motto and passion.