Our Story
We Want to Build Meaningful Archives
Bright Archives was created in 2023 by archivist and oral historian Katherine Barbera and filmmaker and musician David Bernabo.
Back in 2020, Katherine was looking to increase the reach of Carnegie Mellon Univeristy’s Oral History Program, which she founded in 2016. That’s when she hired Dave, a filmmaker with an extensive catalog of creative projects. Together, we developed a thoughtful and collaborative approach to oral history that incorporates filmmaking techniques to enhance production value. The result: we saw a 10x increase in our audience.
Bright Archives spun out of this effort, building on our shared passion for storytelling and listening deeply to the world around us.
We’ve Been There
With more than 30 years of combined experience in archives and creative media, we know first-hand how difficult it can be to organize your records, mine them for relevant details, and share the found stories in meaningful ways. This is especially true for small teams and organizations that don’t have access to in-house archival services.
Who We Are
Katherine Barbera
Katherine Barbera is an archivist and oral historian who specializes in complex histories and material. Over the years, her work has covered topics such as experimental film, punk, computer science, robotics, artificial intelligence, architecture, higher education, and folklore. Her recent work looked at the research ecosystem of robotics and demonstrated that well-designed archival practices can illuminate a field of scientific inquiry.
Before making the jump to start Bright Archives LLC, she held a faculty position at Carnegie Mellon University where she was Founding Director of the Oral History Program, Lead Archivist for the Robotics Project, and Archivist in the University Archives. She has also worked with Carnegie Museum of Art, the University of Pittsburgh, the Heinz History Center, and other education and cultural heritage organizations.
She has an MA in Public History from Duquesne University and is a Certified Archivist (CA) and Digital Archives Specialist (DAS). She is an active member of the Oral History Association, where she is chair of the Membership Committee, and the Society of American Archivists, where she is co-chair of the Committee on Public Awareness. When she’s not working, you can find her gardening, backpacking, skiing, rafting, and enjoying nature with her wonderful husband and two dogs.
David Bernabo
David Bernabo is an oral historian, musician, artist, and independent filmmaker. His filmwork has documented western Pennsylvania food systems, climate change, the studio practices of composers and artists, and the histories of iconic arts institutions like the Mattress Factory. He is most noted for Moundsville, a documentary co-directed with former Wall Street Journal writer John W. Miller, which screened on PBS for three years, and the biographical documentary Just For The Record about avant-garde composer “Blue” Gene Tyranny.
Prior to Bright Archives LLC, he worked at the Carnegie Mellon University Oral History Program, where he conducted oral histories and co-produced the Cut Pathways podcast. Prior to working at CMU, Bernabo developed videos for clients like PPG, Carnegie Museum of Art, and 412 Food Rescue and, previously, was the manager of the Senior Markets Business Analyst team at Highmark.
He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. When not working, you can find him playing in bands, screening his films, and making work in his studio.
