J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award: Brad Pomerance and CJ Eastman

Brad Pomerance, host and co-executive producer of KVCR-TV’s Uncovered in the Archives, and CJ Eastman, co-executive of Uncovered in the Archives, are 2020 recipients of the J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award honors individuals, institution, or organization that promotes greater public awareness, appreciation, or support of archival activities or programs. 

Each week, viewers throughout southern California watch, Uncovered in the Archives, a thirty-minute public television program on Empire | PBS. Brad Pomerance travels to archival repositories to describe some of the region’s most extraordinary historical events. He features archival experts and treasures, and shoots footage behind the scenes in special collections, allowing the public to learn more about the archival profession. In every episode, the archives are a character in the program. The audience is made aware of the pivotal role that archivists play in maintaining our collective history. Given the success of the show’s first season, plans have been laid for the program’s second season, including potential expansion to other Public Broadcasting Service affiliates throughout the State of California and beyond. Uncovered in the Archives is and will continue to shine a bright light on how archives and archivists fortify the history of our communities, our cities, our states and our nation. 

Pomerance describes the documentary series as an opportunity to “unravel some of the region’s most extraordinary historical events—known and unknown, remembered and forgotten—all told through the hidden treasures that we uncover in the archives.”