David Jammy on Story-First Producing and the 2025 Mark Twain Prize

CI to Eye with Monica Holt

What turns a live event into a cultural moment people never forget? David Jammy has some answers. As Executive Producer at Done+Dusted, he’s helped shape global broadcasts from the Emmys and Kennedy Center Honors to the Global Citizen Festival and the Mark Twain Prize.

In this conversation, David traces his path from student activist in apartheid-era South Africa to producing events that capture history as it happens. He shares his storytelling philosophy, the challenge of turning fleeting moments into lasting television, and the behind-the-scenes story of the 2025 Mark Twain Prize honoring Conan O’Brien—a night that doubled as both a tribute and an act of resistance.

It’s a reminder that live events aren’t just entertainment. They can be culture’s way of recording history in real time.

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LINKS:

Done+Dusted

Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale (2013) PBS | Jon Stewart Mark Twain Prize Acceptance Speech Netflix | Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Variety | How Done+Dusted Found the Right Tone for Conan O’Brien’s Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize, as Both a Celebration and a Wake: ‘It Was So Cathartic’