Paramedic Documentary Names Tom Putnam as Director

LOS ANGELES—“Into the Unknown: The Paramedics’ Journey,” the new documentary produced by former stars of the influential 1970’s TV show Emergency!, announced today the key addition of award-winning director Tom Putnam to the project.

“After viewing Tom Putnam’s dynamic and intuitive body of work, I feel fortunate to have him as our director,” said Randy Mantooth, co-executive producer, who played the role of Johnny Gage in Emergency! “In embracing our vision, Tom will bring the same clear-eyed, cinematic brilliance that he has displayed in his past films.”

The new documentary will tell the story of today’s paramedic—following a pandemic that strained our healthcare system and revealed the critical role that paramedics play in caring for their communities. It will realistically depict the lives and jobs of half a dozen paramedic crews around the nation.

Putnam is an acclaimed director, producer and editor who specializes in telling the stories of first responders. His past short films and features have been showcased at more than 500 film festivals—from Sundance to Cannes—and have received more than 50 major awards.

His Detroit firefighting documentary, “BURN,” directed and produced with Brenna Sanchez, is one of the most successful documentaries ever—winning the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival and raising money to purchase more than $250,000 of equipment for Detroit firefighters through the Leary Firefighters Foundation.

“I’ve spent the past 12 years filming first responders and I’m incredibly honored to tell the stories of the paramedics who sacrifice so much to keep us all safe,” said Putnam. “We’ll be sharing the intimate, action-packed experiences of brave men and women from across America in a way audiences have never seen before.”

      FirstNet®, Built with AT&T*, is the principal sponsor of the project. Additional sponsors include Masimo and ZOLL Medical Corporation.

“AT&T is proud to support the project and its goal of portraying the realities first responders face in the field today,” said Lynnée Hopson, assistant vice president of marketing for the FirstNet Program at AT&T. “We welcome Tom as a critical member of the production team.”

“Paramedics have challenging jobs and are often under-appreciated,” said Kevin Tighe, co-executive producer who played paramedic Roy Desoto in the original series. “Tom is a man with a passion for truth. He recognizes the importance of employing empathy in creating a story from many perspectives.”

Steve Martin, a 36-year member of the fire service and retired Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief, is a member of the documentary’s executive team. “I still recall the amazing experience Tom Putnam brought to the screen with his film ‘BURN’,” he said. “Being a former paramedic myself, I’m excited to see how Tom’s passion and vision will bring those same deep personal stories to the screen for our brothers and sisters in this noble profession.”

In addition to Martin, the executive team includes producer Tonya Mantooth, sister to Randy Mantooth, a ten-time Regional Emmy award winner, and Baxter Larmon, PhD, a nationally recognized EMS educator and researcher, and a professor of emergency medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

Find out more about the documentary, the advisory committee and the organizations supporting it at intotheunknowndoc.com. You can also sign up to get regular updates on the progress of the documentary and behind-the-scenes stories and footage.

ITU Doc LLC is dedicated to telling the stories of today’s paramedics through documentary film. It has an advisory board made up of 18 key industry leaders and has been endorsed by 20 major national EMS organizations, representing almost 2 million members nationwide. Learn more at intotheunknowndoc.com.