About David
For a Q & A with David about his new book, see The Story Behind The Eddie Cantor Story
Brief Bio
David Weinstein is the author of The Eddie Cantor Story: A Jewish Life in Performance and Politics (UPNE/Brandeis University Press, 2017), a lively biography that is part of the Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture and Life (Jonathan D. Sarna, editor). His previous book, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Temple University Press, 2004) chronicles the history of the pioneering DuMont Television Network, including innovative figures such as Jackie Gleason and Ernie Kovacs. David has written and spoken widely about subjects ranging from early television to popular media to American Jewish history. He has appeared on C-Span Book TV and has been interviewed on NPR, the BBC, and many local radio and television programs.
In addition to writing, David works as a senior program officer in the Division of Public Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). He advises documentary filmmakers, radio producers, museums, and digital media makers on ways of using scholarship to craft engaging humanities programs. David also presents funding workshops and lectures on grantmaking and the humanities.
David holds a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from Brandeis University. He has taught history, media studies, and video production at the University of Maryland and George Mason University. David’s 1991 documentary, Wake Up!: A Profile of Positive Force, was released on DVD by PM Press in 2014 and continues to generate interest as a dynamic portrait of the early 1990s DC punk scene. David lives in the Washington, D.C. area and is active in his local Jewish community.
Also See The Story Behind The Eddie Cantor Story
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