The Collins Story
On Camera
Step back in time with us and explore the amazing innovations of Arthur A. Collins. These documentary films delve into the history of the Collins Radio Company and its role in World War II, the Apollo program, the moon landing, and countless other inventions that have shaped modern communication. Lights! Camera! Action!
This 24-minute documentary is about the life and career of Mr. Collins and the gifted team of people who responded to his leadership. It explores the company culture that lead to so many technical “firsts”.
Episode I, Steps to the Moon: The Collins Story – Connecting the Moon to the Earth depicts Collins leadership in early space communication. This leads to the company’s groundbreaking communication equipment and systems for Mercury and Gemini astronauts.
Episode II, Moon Talk: The Collins Story – Connecting the Moon to the Earth celebrates the 1968 Apollo 8 mission — the first manned space flight to leave Earth’s orbit and fly to the moon. The only link the astronauts have to Earth is through equipment and a pioneering communication system developed by Collins Radio. This documentary features rare 16-millimeter film footage and photos, and interviews with Collins employees who worked on the Apollo program.
Episode III, Live from the Moon: The Collins Story – Connecting the Moon to the Earth features interviews with the Collins employees who engineered communication, telemetry and navigation systems that were critical to the historic first moon landing in 1969. Millions of people on Earth were able to see Neil Armstrong’s first step and hear his first words from the surface of the moon thanks largely to the engineering expertise by this Iowa-based company.
This 13-minute documentary reveals the incredible production accomplishments at Collins Radio during World War II. It features rare color film of the Army-Navy E-Award Ceremony that took place on the front lawn of Collins Main Plant on September 19, 1942.
Awards
Episode I,
Steps To The Moon
- 2021
Winner Gold Award,
Excellence in Filmmaking
- 2022
Official Selection
- Wayne, Michigan
Official Selection
- Dubuque, Iowa
Finalist
- Los Angeles, California
Official Selection
- Los Angeles, California
Official Selection, Documentary Editing, Long Form Voice Over Narration
- Des Moines, Iowa
Episode II,
Moon Talk
- 2019
Official Selection
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- 2020
Official Selection
- Ottumwa, Iowa
- 2022
Official Selection
- Statesboro, Georgia
Official Selection
- Dunedin, Florida
Rocket Science Theme Winner
- Canberra, Australia
Best Short Documentary
- Santa Barbara, California
Episode III,
Live From The Moon
- 2020
Award of Achievement
– Sound Track Audio Mix
– Editing, Medium Form
– Voice Narration
- Ottumwa, Iowa
- 2021
Winner Gold Award, Excellence in Filmmaking
- 2022
Official Selection
Gold – Professional Documentary
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Official Selection
- Wayne, Michigan
