As a filmmaker, please introduce yourself.

I’m from Jacksonville, Florida. Graduated from William M. Raines High School, where I won the Best Award in Chemistry 

from the U.S. Air Force at the 17th Annual Kiwanis Regional Science Engineering Fair. I attended Florida State University (FSU) 

and co-oped classes at Florida A&M University FAMU) and was an officer in the freshman Pharmacy Class. 

I left school after 2 ½ quarters because my first daughter was on the way and I wanted to support her. 

I did 2 ½ years in the U.S. Air Force as a Geodectic Computations Expert (doing math for bomb drops from B-52 bombers). 

I was assigned to radar sites in Southeast Asia twice. The last time while in Thailand, Saigon fell and I was evacuated with 

“Boat People” fleeing Viet Nam. The war was over and the Air Force wanted to re-train me because there was no call for dropping bombs anymore. 

I instead requested an early release to go back to school, which was granted. I contacted FAMU and asked to be received back 

into the School of Pharmacy, but was told I was an FSU student and would have to undergo the entire admissions process to be 

admitted to FAMU, so I wrote FSU, who gladly welcomed me back with open arms. I majored in Chemical Science with 

thoughts of going to medical school, and minored in Theater because I wanted to study film, but there was no film school 

at either school at that time. I worked on public affairs programming on FSU-TV and on WFSU radio, 

working as an intern on “Black Expressions.” I took journalism classes at FAMU and made my first film there, 

and worked on the radio there at WAMF, playing jazz music and producing public affairs programing. 

FAMU Focus was a short 5 minute public affairs presentation aired many times a week that I produced. 

Radio Free America was a 30 minute public affairs presentation that was aired weekly thatI produced and hosted. 

The politically charged interviews I did earned me death threats and pressure from the government of the school

 and the City of Tallahassee and the police. Next, I started producing and hosting public affairs productions 

on ClearView Cable TV’s Public Access channel.

This is where my independence as a producer started. Here I learned to visualize projects and make them happen…

regardless of circumstances…the show must go on…all while working at the Department of Agriculture Laboratory, 

being a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and co-founder of the Student Power Organization. 

When I graduated from FSU with a B.S. in Chemical Science and a minor in Theater, I found out I didn’t have the stomach to handle autopsies, 

so I took a job at the Jacksonville Electric Authority as a chemical assistance tech while I waited for my fiancé to graduate from FSU in 6 months. 

I then got a job as a Chemist in Los Angeles at Liquid Carbonic Compressed Gas Company. I went to Los Angeles because of 

my interest in motion picture production. My brother, Donald Eugene Barringer aka “Donnie Bee” was a very popular disc jockey (DJ), 

singer and announcer. He had been performing on tv and live since we were kids. He was truly talented. He had been in Louisiana 

with me when I was in the Air Force and hosted a large nightclub, called the Afro Scene, as the DJ. He had also been a DJ on the radio 

in Tallahassee at WANM and was extremely popular. He had also come to California with me. Our mother pleaded with me 

not to do public affairs programming, but to do entertainment with my little brother…so I did. I met many actors in LA upon arriving 

who advised me how hard it was to make a living in LA. They had formed a political action committee called, “Black Actors for Action”. 

Among them were Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Vernee Watson, Bebe Drake Massey, Al Fann and Robert Guillaume. 

I produced videos for my little brother and we cofounded the Afro American Film Institute to produce motion pictures that have 

positive African American images. We also created our own production company called MacBarringer Communications. 

Initially we were tied to the TV studio, where complaints rolled in when we booked loud bands. Then we were able 

to borrow mobile video equipment from the Cable Company and began to produce on location. 

Next, I bought a video camera that needed lights and there was no such thing as auto focus, and a monstrous ¾ inch recording videotape deck. 

It weighted 13 tons!!! lol I hooked it all up on a tripod, with a deck for the VCR and a monitor, on casters. 

So, I had control of getting the footage, but still was at the mercy of the studio for editing. 

Eventually my wife bought me a ½ inch video camcorder with editing. A God sent! Since then, 

video equipment has evolved and editing is nonlinear.