What We Are

Homelands Productions is an independent, nonprofit journalism cooperative. Our mission is to illuminate complex issues through compelling broadcasts, articles, books, and educational forums, and to foster freedom of expression and creative risk through the media arts.

Since our founding in 1989, we have reported from more than 60 countries, produced nine special series for public radio and television, and won 22 national and international awards.

We work in radio, video, photography, print, and on online platforms. We also teach, speak, write books, consult, and serve as fiscal sponsor for projects that move us.

Who We Are

Jonathan Miller

Executive DirectorBoard Member

Jonathan Miller’s work as a reporter, writer, editor, radio and television producer, podcaster, communications specialist, human rights advocate, and media project leader has taken him to more than 20 countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. He joined Homelands Productions in 2001 and has been executive director since 2006.

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Ruxandra Guidi

ProducerBoard President

Ruxandra Guidi has been telling nonfiction stories for more than two decades. Her reporting for public radio and podcasts, magazines, and various multimedia outlets has taken her throughout the United States, the Caribbean, South and Central America, as well as Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border region.

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Alan Weisman

Senior ProducerBoard Treasurer

Alan Weisman has worked on seven continents, in the Caribbean and Oceania, and in more than 60 countries. The author of six books, his next, Hope Dies Last, will be a spring 2025 release from Dutton/Penguin Random House.

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Bear Guerra

ProducerBoard Secretary

Roberto (Bear) Guerra is a photographer whose work addresses globalization, development, and social and environmental justice issues. His photo essays and images have been published and exhibited widely in the United States and abroad. In 2019, he was named photo editor of High Country News.

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Cecilia Vaisman

Co-FounderIn Memoriam

Cecilia Vaisman, our beloved colleague and friend, died on September 27, 2015. In addition to serving as a senior producer for Homelands, she was associate professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and a mentor and inspiration to many.

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Additional Board Members

Maria Blanco

María Blanco is Vice President for Civic Engagement at the California Community Foundation in Los Angeles.

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Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is also the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism.

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Awards

Homelands has won more than 20 awards for its projects, features, and documentaries.
  • Overseas Press Club Award
  • Sigma Delta Chi Award
  • DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton
  • Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards (3)
  • Edward R. Murrow Award
  • Harry Chapin World Hunger Year Award
  • United Nations Gold Medal
  • Third Coast/Robert H. Driehaus Foundation (2)
  • International Radio Festival Award
  • New York Festivals Silver Medal
  • DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton
  • Unity Award
  • National Federation of Community Broadcasters Award (3)
  • Gracie Allen Award
  • Prèmio Nacional de Jornalismo Radiofônico (Brazil)
  • Premio Nuevo Periodismo (Colombia)

Financial Support

Homelands projects have received financial and/or in-kind support from:
  • Alces Foundation
  • Corporation For Public Broadcasting
  • Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation
  • Ford Foundation
  • Four-four Foundation
  • International Labour Organization
  • John D. And Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation
  • National Science Foundation
  • New Venture Fund
  • Polson Institute For Global Development
  • Rockefeller Foundation
  • University Of Arizona
  • Wallace Global Fund
  • Individual Donors
If you would like to contribute to Homelands as an individual donor, please visit our support page.

Public Interest Reporting Defense Fund

In response to alarming increases worldwide in the number of journalists being arrested in the line of duty, Homelands Productions has established the Public Interest Reporting Defense Fund.

The fund is intended for journalists who need help paying legal costs incurred from being arrested while doing their jobs, or those who are fighting costly suits filed against them by targets of their reporting.

To apply, donate, or learn more about the fund, please visit this page.

Work With Us

We love working with other people, projects, and organizations. We're available for:
  • consulting on project strategy and design
  • leading workshops, giving talks, or meeting with students
  • providing one-on-one mentorship
  • managing parts of larger projects
  • contributing as reporters, producers, writers, editors, or advisors

Homelands also serves as a non-profit fiscal sponsor for individuals and teams pursuing projects that excite us.

Give us a shout if you have an idea you’d like to discuss: info@homelands.org

Contact Us

ADDRESS

Homelands Productions
122 Judd Falls Road
Ithaca, NY 14850

TELEPHONE

+1 (607) 592-3174