Founded by award-winning Director/Producer, Darcy Dennett, the New York City-based production company FIREFLYFILMWORKS produces documentary features, television, and media with the industry’s most talented professionals— inspiring, entertaining, informing, educating and ultimately sparking change through world-class storytelling and filmmaking.
Darcy Dennett was recently Co-Executive Producer/Showrunner of Creating the American Story (PBS), an 8-part series on American History hosted by David Rubenstein. In 2021 and 2020, she produced Rise and Fall (History Channel), a special on the World Trade Center for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, directed a season of the long running series in Alaska, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (National Geographic Wild), and shot/produced a segment for 60 Minutes Australia on the impact of Covid-19 on New York City during its apex in early 2020. Before that, she directed/produced two episodes of the original series (Un)Well (Netflix) about the health and wellness industry.
Dennett directed and executive produced the documentary feature, The Champions (Netflix), about the pit-bulls rescued from the notorious dog-fighting ring of Atlanta Falcons’ star quarterback Michael Vick—an inspirational story of resilience and the relationship between humans and animals. The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival (2015) to glowing press and went on to win the Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award, the Best Documentary, Denver Film Festival Starz People’s Choice Award and a nomination for the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Since release, the film has been enjoyed by millions, at hundreds of theatrical and community screenings, on Bluray/DVD, countless streaming platforms and Netflix, raising the profile and visibility of all people and organizations involved, and contributing to reforming the image of pit bulls around the world through positive story-telling.
Dennett also directed, produced and wrote multiple episodes of the award-winning series This is Life with Lisa Ling (CNN) and Our America with Lisa Ling (OWN), exploring extraordinary, unusual, and sometimes dangerous aspects of life in America, on topics ranging from identical twins, online brides in Colombia, the scintillating world of BDSM, new poverty in America, sexual healing, and an investigation into the sex trafficking of underage girls in Washington D.C.
In 2013 Dennett produced a high-profile segment in Nigeria for Oprah Winfrey’s landmark international series Belief an inspiring look at belief and cooperation between a Christian and Muslim leader in dangerous, troubled circumstances. She also produced a multi-million dollar advertising-campaign for HSBC Bank in collaboration with National Geographic that involved travel to over 20 countries and working with some of National Geographic’s best photographers.
She was Showrunner of 4 seasons of the highly successful Dogtown (National Geographic) following trainers, vets, and caregivers at a Utah animal sanctuary as they rescue and rehabilitate dogs that would otherwise be euthanized. The series was nominated for a Genesis Award given by the Humane Society, in recognition of media illuminating animal rights issues. She also directed a two-hour special on the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick, the highest-rated second-season premiere in network history at the time, with high praise in the New York and Los Angeles Times.
Originally from Maine, Dennett majored in film and studied photography in the renowned film-studies program at Wesleyan University. She was one of 36 high-school students chosen to represent the US in a four-week visit to the former USSR for the People to People Student Ambassador Program, established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of the United States Information Agency.