I began my Substack newsletter Getting Personal with Doug Block in July of 2025, and I’ve published posts weekly ever since. Getting Personal focuses on personal documentary filmmaking, first-person storytelling and producing for films. As the name implies, it also allows me to write about deeply personal matters, at times.
I have over 35 years of experience making personal documentaries for HBO, PBS and a host of other international broadcasters. Getting Personal is where I share stories, advice and hard-earned lessons I’ve learned working in a genre of documentary that comes with its own unique set of challenges. I’ll be focusing in particular on my latest project The Search for Betty & Henri, and on another I’m producing, My Omaha, which will premiere on national PBS in October, 2026.
Dipping into my vast personal archive, I post interviews with many leading personal doc filmmakers I’ve filmed over the years, including Sarah Polley, Ross McElwee and Alan Berliner, along with a wealth of video clips, behind-the-scenes material and resources. My entire archive of posts are available to free subscribers, but paid subscribers will get special access to me in the form of period Ask Me Anything zooms, where I offer consulting advice on their projects and answer any questions their hearts desire. They’ll also get first look at chapters of The Search for Betty & Henri before they’re published on my Substack, along with the opportunity to provide feedback.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO GETTING PERSONAL WITH DOUG BLOCK, click here.