Henry Hampton

Who was Henry Hampton?

Henry Hampton was an American filmmaker. He was the son of surgeon Henry Hampton Sr. and Julia Veva Hampton. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Hampton would later move to Boston where he founded his film production company Blackside, Inc., in 1968. It became one of the largest minority-owned non-theatrical film production companies in the U.S. during the mid-1970s and until his death in the late 1990s. Hampton and his company produced over 80 programs including documentaries, television spots, and other media productions.

In 1965, while working for the Unitarian church as information director, Hampton went to Selma, Alabama, to cover the death of Reverend James Reeb and participated in the Selma March. The event changed his life as he recognized the power of media and television and began to conceptualize a film documenting the Civil Rights Movement. Three years later, in 1968, he founded Blackside, Inc., which offered "special expertise in the design and production of film and audio-visual products aimed at minority audiences." Blackside's primary business between 1968 and 1979 was the production of films, television and radio spots, television programming, and audio-visual educational packages. Blackside also produced public service announcements and film-based training materials for government and commercial clients.