Discovering how Herman J. Russell built Atlanta
February 15, 2020 - Herman J. Russell, founder of one of the country’s largest black-owned commercial real estate development and construction firms, epitomizes black history.
That point is evident in the new documentary Building Atlanta: The Herman J. Russell Story, premiering Sunday February 16, at 9 p.m. on ATL PBA.
“It’s about grit, it’s about relationships, it’s about access to opportunities and controlling your destiny,” said Herman J. Russell’s son and namesake, H. Jerome Russell, Jr., Chairman of the Board for The Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE).
Family, friends, colleagues and public officials attended an advanced screening of the documentary at the RCIE to learn more about the man responsible for helping build Atlanta’s skyline.
Russell developed, designed, built, renovated and managed some of the nation’s most complex, high-profile projects including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History to name a few.
But he wasn’t supposed to be the man who changed the face of a city.
Born in 1930 in the segregated South, Russell began his pursuit of entrepreneurship at the age of 8, shining shoes in Atlanta’s Summerhill Neighborhood. Russell was determined to succeed, despite the arduous obstacles he faced along the way.
“He was a man with a speech impediment in the Dixie South who became bigger than life,” said commercial real estate broker T. Dallas Smith, “I consider myself one of the HJ disciples… I duplicated what I saw him do.”
Many of HJ’s disciples credit his hard work, infectious personality, and tough love as to why they have succeeded.
The documentary was exclusively chronicled by those who knew Russell, but was produced, written, edited and directed by Emmy-winning father and son team David and John Duke of Living Stories Film & Video.
“It was very important to me that our voice not be heard and our fingerprints not be visible in the film because it’s not our story; it’s Mr. Russell’s story. It’s a story of black Atlanta,” said John Duke, “I have to be cognizant of the fact that we’re white filmmakers making a story about a black man.”
Russell grew up in extreme poverty in a segregated Atlanta, but behind a tenacious work ethic broke racial barriers while transcending economic boundaries.
“This happens to be the Herman J. Russell story, but it can be anybody's story,” said Herman J. Russell’s daughter, Donata Russell Ross, CEO of Concessions International. She added, “It’s more about people realizing their own potential, embracing it, working hard, never giving up and realizing obstacles are a part of life.”
The documentary premiers on ATL PBA on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 9 p.m. It will air again on February 23, 2020 at 7 p.m