Ric Burns debuts "Into The Deep: America, Whaling & The World"

Born in Baltimore, Md in 1955, Ric Burns is a renowned documentary filmaker and founder of Steeplechase Films.  After studying at Columbia University and Cambridge University, Burns began his career making documentary films.  In 1990, he coproduced The Civil War with his brother Ken.  The nine part series, which he also cowrote, was an important, groundbreaking and immensely popular sreies for PBS. 

His most notable work is New York: A Documentary Film, an eight part seventeen and a half hour series chronicling the history of New York City.  Other notable works include:  Coney Island (1990), The Donner Party (1992) and Ansel Adams (2002).

His latest work Into The Deep: America, Whaling & The World had its debut on PBS in May 2010.  The film interweaves the story of the U.S. whaling industry with the fictional story of Herman Melville's Pequod with the real-life story of the Essex, whose journey Melville based Moby Dick.

On May 2, 2010, the film premiered at Connecticut College.  Prior to the event, Burns spoke about the work.