Diva Communications

Diva Communications, Inc. is a programming and production company that specializes in video for broadcast, cable, Internet and marketing use.^[1] Founded by Dr. Debra Gonsher Vinik in 1985, Diva Communications has produced 17 documentaries on faith-based and social justice issues and has successfully ventured into short-form video for the web and mobile devices.^[2]

History

Debra Gonsher Vinik started Diva Communications in 1985, after stints at Bravo, CBS and Twentieth Century Fox. The company initially made production deals with Orion Pictures and Fox Hills Video, and produced a wide-ranging series of home video offerings including How to Read a Woman Like a Book, How to Become the Love of His Life, Bizarre Sports Incredible Feats, and Get Rich Quick By Beating the Odds.

In 1995, the company merged with David Vinik’s Davideo Productions, which owned the full complement of production and post-production equipment. Diva's first film production after the merger was Embracing Judaism: Reaching In, Reaching Out, Reaching Up. It resulted in the book Embracing Judaism: Narratives of Personal Faith published by Jason Aronson.^[3] Since then the company has written, created, filmed and edited 17 documentaries, all of which have aired on major television outlets and screened in film festivals worldwide. These films address such subjects as community and inclusion for persons with disabilities, hunger in America, intimate partner violence and healthcare.

Diva Communications recently finished Beauty of Their Dreams., which aired on ABC affiliated stations in April through July 2016, and focused on the role of people of faith advocating for girls' education worldwide. Beauty of Their Dreams aims to (1) disseminate information about the important advocacy efforts undertaken by people of faith to advance girls’ education; and (2) mobilize faith-based communities and organizations to adopt girls’ education as a priority focus of social justice outreach.

Diva Communications also produces video content for Web and mobile apps. In 2010, the company began creating the short videos Morning Thoughts and Evening Meditations for the Odyssey Networks' mobile app Call on Faith. Though no longer operational, Call on Faith was a library of short inspirational videos, available both online and on mobile devices.^[4]

Along with author and radio host Rabbi Irwin Kula, co-president of CLAL, Diva produced a short video series called the Wisdom of the Holidays ^[5] and completed the sequel, Wisdom of the Prayers.^[6] Diva also curates the Mincha Moment website, a series of original web videos devoted to gratitude. In 2013 the Mincha Moment entitled Grateful For The Partial, featuring Rabbi Irwin Kula, was nominated for an Emmy Award.^[7] Dr. Gonsher Vinik was subsequently invited to contribute an article named “Practicing Gratitude” of WELCA's Bold Cafe. Debra Gonsher Vinik was asked to speak at WELCA's triennial in 2014 for about her documentary I Believe You; Faith's Response to Intimate Partner Violence at WELCA'S triennial in 2014, and will be joining their next triennial in 2017, to screen and to speak about Beauty of Their Dreams.

As Diva's work is primarily interfaith, in addition to WELCA, it has fostered relationships with faiths across the spectrum including Conservative and Reform Judaism, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Muslim, Presbytarian, and Baha'i, among others.

Diva Communications is currently in pre-production on Entertaining Angels, which examines the role of faith groups in immigration reform and refugee settlement and is scheduled to air on ABC affiliated stations in Fall 2017.

Films

Films produced by Diva Communications have aired on television networks such as PBS, NBC and ABC.^[8]

Awards

Diva's films have won four local Emmy awards and ten nominations.^[9] In February, 2012, Diva's film I Believe You was nominated for two Emmys, one for Best Religious Programming and one for Best Editing.^[10] In February 2013, their short web video, Grateful For The Partial, was nominated for a New York Emmy for Best Religion News/Feature.^[11] In 2014, their documentary Divine Prescription won an Emmy award.^[12]

Diva won the 2010 DeRose-Hinkhouse Award for Best in Broadcasting for the documentary, A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities.^[13] The film tells the stories of disabled individuals working to make their faith communities more inclusive of them.

References