Helen Hood Scheer

Helen Hood Scheer (she/her) is an documentary filmmaker, freelance producer, and Associate Professor at California State University Long Beach, where she spearheads the Creative Nonfiction program. Documentaries that Helen has directed/produced/shot/edited have screened at over 100 venues including Hot Docs, Doc NYC, True/False, The National Gallery of Art, and the U.S. Department of State’s American Film Showcase. She has also produced or served as archival producer on several documentaries for other directors that have been broadcast on HBO, PBS, ABC, A&E and National Geographic.

She made her directorial debut with JUMP!, an award-winning documentary feature film about competitive jump rope that screened at over 75 film festivals and was acquired by Showtime. Helen also made several acclaimed short films including The Apothecary, which won the Student Academy Award and both Jury and Audience Recognition at the Aspen Shorts Fest. She served as consulting producer on For Madmen Only (SXSW 2020), archival producer on In Country (Full Frame’s Garrett Scott Award Winner), and consulting producer on Landfill Harmonic (SXSW’s 24 Beats Per Second Award).

Helen recently won the Advancement of Women Award from the CSULB President’s Commission on the status of women for her instructional, creative, and service activity. Her work has been funded by Sundance, California Humanities, International Documentary Association, Level Forward, and more. Helen earned a BA with highest honors in American Studies and a minor in History from University of California Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.