{{Short description|American filmmaker and television executive (born 1944)}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox person | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|5|1}} | birth_place = Ogden, Utah, U.S. | occupation = {{flatlist| * Filmmaker * news executive }} | alma_mater = Stanford University (BA) | children = 2 | father = George C. Hatch | awards = {{ublist| * Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award (1972) * Guggenheim Fellowship (1987) }} }} '''Diane Glasmann Orr''' (born May 1, 1944) is an American documentary filmmaker and television executive. She worked at Salt Lake City television station KUTV in several capacities, including as executive producer for the ''Extra'' newsmagazine and as news director (1990–1995). After winning awards for her work at KUTV, she won a 1987 Guggenheim Fellowship to work with C. Larry Roberts on a documentary on Everett Ruess. ==Biography== Orr was born on May 1, 1944, in Ogden, Utah.<ref name="GF">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZxPAQAAIAAJ |title=Reports of the President and the Treasurer |publisher=John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation |year=1986 |page=90}}</ref> Her parents George C. Hatch and Gene Glasmann Hatch were mass media executives, with her father owning KUTV and her mother serving as president of The Standard Corp. from 1955 until 1993.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 9, 1993 |title=KUTV to merge with media group |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-idaho-press-kutv-to-merge-with-med/179781327/ |work=South Idaho Press |page=5 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 9, 2005 |title=Former Utah media president dies at 86 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-spectrum-former-utah-media-pre/179781356/ |work=The Daily Spectrum |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> After a year at the Free University of Berlin, Orr obtained a BA from Stanford University in 1966, before spending another year at San Francisco State University.<ref name="GF" />
In 1969, she joined KUTV as a producer and director.<ref name="GF" /> She later served as executive producer at KUTV's ''Extra'' newsmagazine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Youngren |first=Mike |date=May 2, 1994 |title=With 'Extra,' KUTV News revives and old - and good - idea |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-with-extra-kutv/179781411/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |page=B5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="SLT 1994" /> She served as news director of KUTV from 1990 until 1995; after an 88-percent stake in KUTV was sold to out-of-state interests, she was replaced by Con Psarras.<ref name="Keahey 1995">{{Cite news |last=Keahey |first=John |date=October 12, 1995 |title=KUTV Channel 2 Names New Director of News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-kutv-channel-2-nam/179781741/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |page=D5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Orr was also assistant treasurer of KUTV's majority owner, The Standard Corp.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 13, 1989 |title=New Board appointed: Standard-Examiner Names Publisher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-new-board-appointe/179781653/ |agency=Associated Press |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |page=C1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
She produced the KUTV special ''Warriors Without A Weapon'', winning a 1972 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1971 Winners |url=https://dupont.org/1971winners |access-date=August 22, 2025 |website=duPont-Columbia Awards |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211231530/https://dupont.org/1971winners |url-status=live }}</ref> She also won a San Francisco International Film Festival Broadcast Media Award for another KUTV documentary, ''The Longest War'' (1973).<ref name="GF" /> In 1979, she became co-producer and director for Beecher Films.<ref name="GF" /> By 1990, she had produced dozens of documentaries and videos.<ref name="SLT 1994" />
Orr collaborated with fellow ''Extra'' producer C. Larry Roberts on documentaries such as ''SL-1'' (which aired on WNET) and ''The Plan'' (1979).<ref name="Orme 1987" /> In 1987,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diane Orr |url=https://www.gf.org/fellows/diane-orr |access-date=August 22, 2025 |website=Guggenheim Fellowships |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425023126/https://www.gf.org/fellows/diane-orr/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the duo were awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for a documentary on Everett Ruess.<ref name="Orme 1987">{{Cite news |last=Orme |first=Terry |date=May 24, 1987 |title=A cinematic search for Everett Ruess |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-1934-everett-ruess/157493066/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |page=E1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-1934-everett-ruess/157521989/ 6E] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The project briefly went on hiatus after Roberts died in 1988, but was later revived, and ''Lost Forever: Everett Ruess'' was screened in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vice |first=Jeff |date=May 18, 2001 |title=Filmmaker Orr emerges with project on vanished artist |url=https://www.deseret.com/2001/5/18/19586735/filmmaker-orr-emerges-with-project-on-vanished-artist/ |access-date=August 22, 2025 |work=Deseret News |archive-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321134249/https://www.deseret.com/2001/5/18/19586735/filmmaker-orr-emerges-with-project-on-vanished-artist |url-status=live }}</ref> Terry Orme said that the Orr-Roberts duo "epitomize[d] the regional, independent filmmaker".<ref name="Orme 1987"/>
Orr was awarded a 1994 Leading Change Award by the Utah Professional Chapter of Women in Communications.<ref name="SLT 1994">{{Cite news |date=February 20, 1994 |title=Utah Women Leaders Earn Communications Award: Winners to Be Honored For Leadership Skills And Contributions |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-utah-women-leaders/179781828/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |page=B8 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> She once served as a board member for the Sundance Institute.<ref name="SLT 1994" /> Her films are archived at the J. Willard Marriott Library.<ref name="orbis">{{Cite web |title=Diane Orr independent film collection |url=https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv186292 |access-date=August 22, 2025 |website=archiveswest.orbiscascade.org}}</ref>
Orr had two children.<ref name="Orme 1987" /> ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orr, Diane}} Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:American documentary film directors Category:American documentary film producers Category:American television executives Category:American television news producers Category:American women documentary filmmakers Category:American women television executives Category:American women television producers Category:Film directors from Utah Category:Film producers from Utah Category:Free University of Berlin alumni Category:People from Ogden, Utah Category:San Francisco State University alumni Category:Stanford University alumni