Biography
Don White is from Colonial Heights, Virginia, where he began using his father’s Super-8 movie camera at the age of ten, and discovered his love of filmmaking. He and his brothers made short movies combining both live action and stop-motion animation to re-create scenes from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) as well as their own Indiana Jones movie. After graduating from Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in television production, White continued his education at Kodak’s School of Cinematography, the Hollywood Film Institute, and Regent University. At TransAmerica Productions, White wrote, produced, and directed numerous commercial and non-profit projects including the Telly Award winning, direct-to-video, "Courageous Living" series. While pursuing a film career, White earned a living in broadcast television as a freelance sports camera operator for ESPN. White was hired as Director of Photography on his first feature film, The Gathering (1998), which won several awards including the Gold Plaque Award from the Chicago Film Festival.
After joining Metro Productions in Richmond, he produced videos for large clientele and government contracts, including the U.S. Army, Imperial College of London, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. White also directed short-subject historical documentaries for The Vacation Channel.
In 2001, White became the program director for the nationally syndicated television program, There’s Hope America, which aired on numerous networks and local affiliates for almost ten years. He also served as the media director for First Redeemer Church in metro-Atlanta. This dual role afforded White the opportunity to utilize both his broadcast television and filmmaking experiences into one. During that time, he produced a weekly television talk show, a live call-in web program, and directed hundreds of live worship services each Sunday, while also creating short stories, promos, testimonials, and other videos to support the ministries of the church.
White directed the short film, An Unexpected Christmas (2014), a lighthearted and comical view of what heaven would be through the eyes of a child. A boy imagines what it must have been when God announced to the angels, his decision to send Jesus down to earth as a baby, to be born in a manger. The "all-children" citizens of heaven had some humorous reactions.
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, White directed a multi-venue Christmas musical with a full choir and orchestra, all socially distanced, and recorded separately in two different locations. He and his team then edited the footage, combining all the musicians and vocalists into a seamless concert. The television program had multiple broadcasts in Atlanta, leading up to Christmas, and received highly favorable reviews as many Christmas specials that year were re-runs from previous seasons.
Don White then directed the comedy drama, The Glory of Christmas (2021), adapted from the television series of the same name, created by The Skit Guys. The story centers around a group of church members attempting to put on a stage production for their annual Christmas play. The cast discover through their own fallibilities, what the real people whom they are depicting - Joseph, Mary, the Wise Man, and the Shepherd, must have felt like. This humorous, yet poignant story, told through the eyes of a very anxious stage director, ultimately demonstrates the true miracle, and glory of Christmas.
In 2025, White wrote, produced and directed a short film, The Bethlehem Inn (2025) based on a short story by Deborah Craig-Claar. It tells the story of three individuals, a Roman census taker, a young orphan girl, and a travelling merchant, all experiencing their own unique journeys, but find themselves at the same destination on the night that changed the world. The film was presented as part of the annual Christmas musical production presented by First Redeemer Church in metro-Atlanta.
