In Memory of Vision Maker Media Founder Frank Blythe, Jr.

It is with great sadness that Vision Maker Media announces the passing of our Founder, Frank Blythe, Jr.

Frank Blythe was the founding executive director of Vision Maker Media, serving for thirty years from 1976 until his retirement in 2006. Frank led the organization from concept to a nationally recognized Native American-led institution providing training and financial support for thousands of Native media producers and creating the largest archive of Native films in the country.

Vision Maker Media began in 1972 when a group of public television stations met together with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to develop a plan for training Native American producers to create Native American programs for public television. This led to the creation of the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium, now known as Vision Maker Media. The new organization established its headquarters with Nebraska Public Media and the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1976 and Frank Blythe was hired as its first Executive Director.

Upon his retirement in 2006, Vision Maker Media established the Frank Blythe Award for Media Excellence to recognize outstanding contributions by an individual or organization in creating opportunities that engage and empower Native American and Alaska Native media makers. You can honor Frank’s impact on Native media by contributing to the Frank Blythe Award for Media Excellence Fund at Vision Maker Media.

A great storyteller has passed on to the spirit world with his stories remaining with us to learn from and share. This is his legacy.