About Us

Davidson Films, Inc. was started in San Francisco by Jack Davidson in 1955, then a news cameraman for CBS. Jack, now 80, still lights our sets in which we film our narrator and films many of the "B-roll" shots for our productions. Jack ran the company until 1975 when, at age 45, he entered medical school, eventually becoming a community psychiatrist. During most of his tenure as president, the company made math and science films for K-8 classes, many of which are still in use.

Fran Davidson has run the company for the last 31 years, building up a collection of psychology and education films from the legacy of the Piaget films Jack had made before his career change. During her years with the company, great changes have taken place in the means of production and distribution from 16mm through various modes of videotape to now high definition video on DVDs.

From its very first days fifty five years ago, Davidson Films has been blessed with a talented and loyal staff. Elaine Taunt has run the business end of things for a decade, providing our customers with efficient, yet personalized customer service. Over the years, she has been assisted by a set of student workers, all of whom have gone on to prestigious careers. Currently her assistant is Roshanne Bakhtiary, a very clever Social Sciences student.

We think the company's longevity comes from its commitment to excellence in all aspects of its operations. Much thought and work goes into the production of our films, from the choice of renown consultants, to the careful crafting of scripts, to the arduous capture of relevant live action scenes, to the artful editing of hours of raw footage. We depend on the skill of our skilled camera operator, Greg Monroe, to provide the well-shot visuals that support the academic content of our scripts. Lin Mercer has served as our editor for fifteen years, and she also creates the graphics which both clarify and enliven our productions. All of this work is made worth-while when we get positive feedback from you, our customers, that the films enhance your courses in introducing students to challenging material in engaging ways.