Back to Films

Dear Mr. Brody

Synopsis

In January 1970, hippie-millionaire Michael Brody Jr. announces to the world that he’s giving away $25 million to usher in a new era of peace and love, igniting a psychedelic spiral of events. In a frenzied few weeks, Brody and his young wife are mobbed by the public, scrutinized by the media, and overwhelmed by the crush of personal letters responding to his extraordinary offer.

Fifty years later, it’s the discovery of twelve large boxes of unopened letters in an LA storage unit that inspires DEAR MR. BRODY. Neither Michael Brody Jr.’s story, nor the thousands of stories in the letters have ever been told — until now.

The Filmmakers

Keith Maitland Director

An Austin-based filmmaker, Keith Maitland has directed and produced four feature documentaries including this year’s DEAR MR. BRODY. On the heels of TOWER, an animated school-shooting documentary, Variety named Maitland one of "10 Documakers to Watch." In 2016-2017 TOWER won multiple festival awards, as well as the Emmy for Best Historical Documentary, and the Critic’s Choice Award for Most Innovative Documentary. Maitland began his career on the streets of New York, working on the fiction side of the industry as a DGA Trainee and Assistant Director. After 7-seasons with NBC’s LAW & ORDER, and work on a variety of features, Maitland was inspired by his documentary-photographer-wife, Sarah Wilson, to try his hand at non-fiction storytelling. Wilson is the cinematographer of both TOWER and DEAR MR. BRODY. She serves as a Producer on DEAR MR. BRODY as well. Together they own Go-Valley, a production compound in East Austin. In addition to developing new documentaries, Maitland works as a screenwriter and he’s attached to direct a fictionalized account of the Challenger explosion. 

Megan Gilbride Producer

Megan is a two-time-Emmy-winning and Independent Spirit Award nominated producer of narrative and documentary films. She produced the Emmy-award-winning and PBS-broadcast documentary TOWER, which shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award and was nominated for a Peabody Award.  She produced LOVERS OF HATE, a Sundance Dramatic Competition premiere, released by IFC and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. She produced the PBS-broadcast documentary SUNSHINE and co-produced WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM which won an Independent Spirit Award, aired on POV and won a 2012 News and Documentary Emmy. A member of the PGA, DPA, and a former FIND Fellow, Megan is currently producing the Sundance Institute-supported, feature documentary, FATHOM.

Melissa Robyn Glassman Producer

Melissa is a NY-based writer/producer working on a number of documentaries and narrative projects under her newly launched Twelve21 Productions. She previously served as Director of Development at Pressman Films where she collaborated with established writers and directors on more than twenty projects in development including HBO’s ​PATERNO ​starring Al Pacino, Mary Harron’s upcoming Salvador Dali biopic, Terry Zwigoff’s ​LOST MELODY​, and the ​BLOODSPORT ​and​ THE CROW r​eboots. She also served as Associate Producer on ​THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY starring Jeremy Irons and Dev Patel. Prior to joining the team at Pressman, Melissa worked with Emmy award-winning actress and activist, Mariska Hargitay, and was an editor and staff writer at the teen magazine ​YM​. 

Sarah Wilson Producer

Sarah Wilson is an Emmy Award-winning producer, cinematographer, and photographer living in Austin, Texas.  Photographing for magazines such as The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Time, Atlantic Monthly, Texas Monthly, and others, her images have been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, and the Lishui Photography Museum of China. She was the Director of Photography and Executive Producer on the film, TOWER, awarded Best Historical Documentary Emmy in 2018, was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award, and nominated for a Peabody Award.