Donald A. Morgan

In his four-hour interview, Donald A. Morgan talks about his early years as a musician and his interest in graphic design and architecture. He talks about first job in television -- in the mailroom of KTTV -- and how he subsequently got on staff in the lighting department and began working on several of Norman Lear's shows in the 1970s, including All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time. He describes how he became a director of photography and talks about his work on Three's Company, Silver Spoons, and Gloria. Morgan also discusses his work lighting several variety specials, including Baryshnikov on Broadway, and awards shows, including the NAACP Image Awards. He then recounts working on several comedies from the 1980s to today, including Mr. Belvedere, Benson, 227, Home Improvement, Moesha, My Wife and Kids, and Girlfriends. He talks about the craft of cinematography, working on multiple shows at once, and how involved he is with post-production. He describes his then-recent work on The Ranch, The Conners, Last Man Standing, and The Upshaws, and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted production. He concludes with remarks about how cinematography for television has changed since he started in the business, and offers advice to aspiring cinematographers. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on September 30, 2022 in North Hollywood, CA.