[1] As a teenager, Bagwell arranged sensitivity workshops for the Catholic Youth Organization in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he showed films produced by others.
[3] While Bagwell was teaching, he received a chance to work as a cameraman for GBH's Say Brother (now known as Basic Black), and eventually he joined Frontline, where he captured the story of Rev.
In 1987, Bagwell launched Roja Productions, Inc., and directed the documentary Roots of Resistance: The Story of the Underground Railroad in collaboration with American Experience.
[3] Bagwell produced numerous documentaries in collaboration with GBH, such as two episodes from the series Eyes on the Prize (1987, Mississippi: Is this America?
[5] The Ford Foundation's JustFilms initiative, which Bagwell played a key role in founding, has produced works such as the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague, focusing on the early years of the AIDS crisis.