In 1976, a year after graduating from Hampshire, Sherman and college roommate,
Ken Burns, along with another friend from Hampshire College, Buddy Squires, founded Florentine Films. They started by working as a New England crew for companies filming in the region. At the time when magazine shows were beginning to launch, the team worked for RAI/Italian television, the BBC, Danish television, French television, etc. and marketed themselves across
New England. They were soon joined by their fourth partner,
Lawrence Hott. They provide crew for documentaries for such films as Emily Dickinson and Herman Melville, shot a feature and worked on commercials. He began as a location sound recordist, then an assistant director and producer on commercials, producer/director on documentaries and also became a cinematographer. In 1981, the company released its major film,
The Brooklyn Bridge, directed by Ken Burns and produced by Burns, Sherman, and Buddy Squires. It was nominated for an Academy Award. A few films later, each of the four partners wanted to create work individually; they each launched separate brands under the same trade name,
Florentine Films. Of Sherman's many films,
The Restaurateur, a portrait of renowned restaurant owner,
Danny Meyer, won the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Documentary, Broadcast Journalism. His Emmy Award- and Peabody Award-winning film,
Alexander Calder, is "an American masterpiece", said
Charlie Rose.
Richard Rogers: The Sweetest Sounds was declared, "An extraordinary film biography, perhaps the best ever produced in the American Masters series" by Dorothy Rabinowitz of
The Wall Street Journal. Medal of Honor received appraisal from the
New York Post, which reads, "An astounding array of stories about an unbelievable collection of unexpected heroes". His film, ''Don't Divorce the Children'', about the effects of divorce on children, became a mandatory viewing in many states for families going through divorce. Sherman photography has been published in
Newsweek,
Saveur,
Town and Country,
Town and Country Travel and
Budget Travel magazines; he also photographed
The Brisket Book by Stephanie Pierson. His own book,
Ready, Steady, Shoot: The Guide to Great Home Video, was written to help individuals and families everywhere improve the content of their home videos. An update of that book, being sold as an enhanced eBook is called ''Ready, Steady, Shoot: A Pro's Guide to Smartphone Video'', published by Florentine Films/Sherman Pictures, 2012. He takes viewers on a culinary adventure to over 100 locations throughout Israel, visiting top chefs, great home cooks, amazing wine and cheese makers, street food vendors, farmers, and much more. The world premiere was held at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it sold out the largest theater twice. It was also shown at the
Miami Jewish Film Festival, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival at Symphony Hall to 1200 people; it was the closing night film. In all, the film was shown at over 60 International film festivals and special screenings, in 38 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, and on Netflix. In 2019
The Second Life of Jamie P was released. It tells the story of Jamie Peebles, who always thought he was a man. Until, "like a bolt of lightning," at age 63, she realized she's a woman. Roger followed her emotional, revelatory and often funny transition for a year. He filmed major milestones, like Jamie's confirmation surgery, as well as scenes with her daughters Angie and Tina, Elaine, her ex-wife, Nick, her future son-in-law, and Carol, a transgender friend who helped Jamie navigate her transition. Carol shares her personal and emotional story as well.
The New Face of Israeli Cuisine, an in-person and virtual event, was launched in 2020. With so many scenes not included in
In Search of Israeli Cuisine, Roger created an hour-long conversation. He shows a scene (most were not included in the film) then discusses it with the audience, taking their questions, hearing their stories. The event was presented to groups across the country including Central Synagogue in New York City and Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY. Chief rabbi Jonathan Blake praised the film saying, "Roger brought wit, warmth, and a wealth of knowledge about exciting new directions in Israeli cuisine. Our congregation left hungry for more." He was the keynote speaker at The Jewish Communities of Vermont Summit, where he presented the talk. At the El Paso Jewish Film Festival tickets sold so quickly, they added another show. The event was the best attended at the festival. It was the last in-person event Roger presented as the
COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down; three events scheduled in Canada were cancelled. That's when the virtual event was created. In 2021
The Soul of A Farmer will be released. It's a portrait of Patty Gentry, a smart, passionate, funny chef turned farmer. Roger followed filmed the 2016-2017 season at Patty's Early Girl Farm in Brookhaven, Long Island, New York, and returned in 2019 to see if the changes Patty instituted worked. The film bursts the romance of farm-to-table. Patty rents her land from the international actor and activist
Isabella Rossellini, who says, "Patty is the Picasso of vegetables." And, "She reminds me of my mother, the famous actress
Ingrid Bergman both so energetic." Patty sells to renowned chef/restaurateurs in Brooklyn and Long Island:
Missy Robbins (Lilia, Missi), Souhi Kim (The Good Fork, Insa, Gage and Tollner), (Marlow and Sons, Marlow and Daughters, Romans), Christian Mir (Stone Creek Inn).{{cite web|url= https://www.bonappetit.com/people/out-of-the-kitchen/article/andrew-tarlow-interview ==Photography==