Raised in Easton, Pennsylvania by a single mother who worked as a maid, Williams defied the odds. After getting a scholarship and graduating from NYU, Williams had a successful career as a TV producer, before becoming a documentary filmmaker.

Williams began his career producing political satire for Comedy Central and Michael Moore’s Emmy Award-winning series TV Nation. He has also produced and directed numerous prime time specials for PBS, ABC, CBS, Sundance Channel and New York Times Television.

He has won numerous awards for his TV and documentary work including but certainly not limited to:

• Academy Award for Music by Prudence.

• NAMIC Vision Award.

• The National Headliner for Best Human Interest Feature documentary.

• 2022 Peabody Award Award for High on the Hog.

• The International Documentary Association’s Career Achievement Award.

• Woodstock Film Festival’s 2021 Honorary Maverick Award.

Since 2016, Williams has been on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences representing the Documentary Branch and is also Chair of the Documentary Diversity Committee.

Williams serves on the advisory board of the Full Frame Film Festival, and the boards of Docubox Kenya, None On Record, and the Zeitz Museum Of Contemporary Art Africa. He resides in New York and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.