Photo courtesy of Tessa Marie Images

ABOUT DAVID BLOCK

For more than two decades, David Block has built a distinguished career as a documentary producer/director and freelance journalist. Autistic and legally blind since birth, he has long approached storytelling with a rare combination of determination, insight, and authenticity.

As a journalist, David has written more than 1,500 published articles for outlets such as The New York Times (six bylines), The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jazz Journal International, The London Times, Runner’s World, Running Times, Runner’s Gazette, The Jerusalem Post, and numerous regional newspapers and magazines. His reporting has taken him from sports arenas to concert halls to political events, and he has interviewed a remarkable range of public figures, including Kobe Bryant, Bill Cosby, Joe Frazier, Florence Henderson, Caitlyn Jenner, Lee Majors, Sarah Palin’s parents Charles and Sally Heath, David Sanborn, McCoy Tyner, and Grover Washington, Jr. Known for his tenacity, David embraces challenging assignments—and he has never missed a deadline.

David has produced nine documentaries, many of which have aired on television, earned festival screenings, and received awards.

A proud Temple University alumnus, David completed his Master’s Degree in Journalism in 2017. The university’s Journalism Department honored him with the Lori Schipper Scholarship for Distinguished Achievement in Journalism in 2016.

David is also an author. His first book, Understanding the 613 Mitzvot—an 11-year effort—was published in 2021 and later featured at the 2023 LA Times Festival of Books. His second book, Born Blind: The Traumas and the Triumphs, was published in 2023.

In addition to his creative work, David has shared his expertise in the classroom, teaching journalism to night-school students.