The Originals on The CW Video Clips

The Originals | Memories: Claire Holt, Daniel Gillies, & Joseph Morgan

An end to an amazing ride. Revisit their favorite memories on The CW App, presented by Twix!

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-originals/memories-claire-holt-daniel-gillies-and-joseph-morgan/?play=48216f0c-c50b-49f5-8a80-04d80d521c7f

The Originals | Favorite Scenes: Joseph Morgan & Danielle Rose Russell

It's always been about family. See more of their favorite scenes on The CW App, presented by Twix!

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-originals/favorite-scenes-joseph-morgan-and-danielle-rose-russell/?play=b90b4fef-77c0-4c1f-b48f-6727723857f9

Global Powerhouse Jennifer Lopez to Receive "Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award" and Perform at the 2018 "VMAs" Airing Live on MTV Monday, August 20 at 9:00 PM ET/PT

Global Powerhouse Jennifer Lopez to Receive "Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award" and Perform at the 2018 "VMAs" Airing Live on MTV Monday, August 20 at 9:00 PM ET/PT
She is also set to perform live at this year's show for the first time since 2001 and is nominated for two "VMAs" for her most recent single, "Dinero."

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[via press release from MTV] GLOBAL POWERHOUSE JENNIFER LOPEZ TO RECEIVE "MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD" AND PERFORM AT THE 2018 "VMAS" AIRING LIVE ON MTV MONDAY, AUGUST 20 AT 9:00 PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY (July 31, 2018) - MTV today announced that global superstar Jennifer Lopez will receive the "Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award" at the 2018 MTV "VMAs." She is also set to perform live at this year's show for the first time since 2001 and is nominated for two "VMAs" for her most recent single, "Dinero." With a legacy that spawns over two decades, Lopez is one of the most iconic and influential multi-hyphenates across music, film, television, fashion, business and philanthropy.

Lopez joins a prestigious list of past Vanguard recipients that includes Michael Jackson, Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, BEYONCé, Kanye West, Rihanna and P!nk.
The "VMAs" will air live from Radio City Music Hall on Monday, August 20 at 9:00 PM ET/PT across MTV's global network of channels in more than 180 countries and territories, reaching more than half a billion households around the world.

Since her first album, "On the 6," debuted in 1999, Lopez has transformed the global music scene, including selling over 80 million records worldwide, 40 million albums, 16 top 10 hit songs, and three #1 albums. In addition to her music, Lopez has made her mark in film and television. Her films have grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide, five of which opened at #1. Her portrayal of the Latin music sensation "Selena" earned her widespread acclaim. Lopez' simultaneous release of her second studio album "J.Lo" and her romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner" paved the way for her to become the first woman to have a number one album and film in the same week.

Lopez's production company Nuyorican Productions has produced numerous film and television projects, including the box office hit "Boy Next Door," Freeform's award-winning series "The Fosters," and the NBC hit drama "Shades of Blue." In addition to starring in "Shades of Blue," Lopez also serves as an executive producer and a judge on NBC's hit dance competition show "World of Dance." Lopez will next be seen starring in and producing STX's upcoming feature film "Second Act," slated to release in November 2018, alongside Leah Remini, Milo Ventimiglia and Vanessa Hudgens.

Furthermore, Lopez dedicates her time to support humanitarian causes. Following Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, Lopez and Alex Rodriguez personally donated $1 million to humanitarian aid for Puerto Rico and helped launch a humanitarian relief campaign, "Somos Una Voz," an effort supported by celebrities to rush supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Maria. Lopez and Rodriguez then organized a star studded telethon event for disaster relief, "One Voice: Somos Live!," which raised over $35 million. In April 2018, Lopez was named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People."

Fans can vote for their favorites across 12 VMA categories, including "Video of the Year," "Artist of the Year," "Best Collaboration" and more by visitingvma.mtv.com until Friday, August 10. Voting for the "Best New Artist" award, presented by Taco Bell(R), will remain active until the VMA broadcast.

MTV has teamed up with Amazon to release a skill for Alexa, the cloud-based voice service, that will allow customers to vote for "Artist of the Year." This marks the first time ever that a major awards show has used Alexa for audience voting. To cast your vote, just say, "Alexa, vote for the VMAs" on any Alexa-enabled device.

Bruce Gillmer and Jesse Ignjatovic are Executive Producers for the 2018 "VMAs." Melanie Block serves as Executive in Charge of Production. Amani Duncan is Executive in Charge of Music. Wendy Plaut is Executive in Charge of Celebrity Talent.
Official sponsors of the 2018 "VMAs" include PEPSI(R), Swiffer(R), Taco Bell(R) and truth(R).

About MTV:
MTV is the leading youth media brand inspired by music, in nearly 180 countries and 450 million homes around the world, connecting with over 350 million fans across all social media platforms. A unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), MTV operations span cable and mobile networks, live events, and the new MTV Studios unit which produces original and reimagined content for SVOD and linear networks based on MTV's library of over 200+ youth titles and franchises. 

Motor Trend Group Greenlights Two New Original Series Exclusively for Its Direct-to-Consumer Digital Product

Motor Trend Group Greenlights Two New Original Series Exclusively for Its Direct-to-Consumer Digital Product
Both "Uncaged" (wt) and "2018 Best Driver's Car" are scheduled to premiere this fall.

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[via press release from Motor Trend Group] MOTOR TREND GROUP GREENLIGHTS TWO NEW ORIGINAL SERIES EXCLUSIVELY FOR ITS DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DIGITAL PRODUCT

(Silver Spring, Md.) - Motor Trend Group, the largest automotive media company in the world, announced today the greenlight of two new original series - UNCAGED (wt) and 2018 BEST DRIVER'S CAR - exclusively for the Motor Trend App, the #1 direct-to-consumer digital product for automotive enthusiasts. Both UNCAGED (wt) and 2018 BEST DRIVER'S CAR are scheduled to premiere this fall.

"We're creating best-in-class content featuring top experts that will rev the engine of motor minded fans everywhere," said Robert S. Scanlon, president of Velocity and Motor Trend Group Video Content. "These series are part of the new Motor Trend, which nourishes audiences' passions across multiple platforms including online, digital and social media in addition to television via Motor Trend Network coming this fall."

UNCAGED (wt) is Motor Trend Group's first original series dedicated entirely to motorcycle culture. Starring motorcycle experts Ari Henning and Zack Courts, UNCAGED (wt) follows the two lifelong friends as they take on the world's wildest motorcycling challenges including learning to ride the legendary Wall of Death, cramming a 1970s Chopper engine into a minibike for a homegrown hill climb competition, and all the crazy ideas the two can imagine doing on a two-wheeler.

Each year Motor Trend gathers together the hottest new high-performance vehicles from around the world for a week-long competition. In 2018 BEST DRIVER'S CAR, Motor Trend senior features editor Jonny Lieberman, Automobile senior features editor Jethro Bovingdon, and hall of fame race car driver Randy Pobst subject each vehicle to a barrage of instrumented tests, miles of real-world driving and blistering hot laps around world famous Laguna Seca Raceway - all so Motor Trend's editors can deliberate and decide who will be crowned Motor Trend's 2018 Best Driver's Car.
The grand finale of the program is Motor Trend's internet-busting "World's Greatest Drag Race", now it's in eighth installment. The concept is easy to understand but demanding to execute. Motor Trend finds the smoothest, fastest stretch of United States Air Force runway, lines up all twelve high-performance thoroughbreds side-by-side, and drops the starter flag for the ultimate in quarter-mile showdowns.

Both UNCAGED (wt) and 2018 BEST DRIVER'S CAR are produced for the Motor Trend App through their internal production arm Motor Trend Studio. For Motor Trend Studio, Spenser Robert is showrunner for UNCAGED (wt) and Levi Rugg is showrunner for 2018 BEST DRIVER'S CAR. For the Motor Trend App, Mike Suggett is executive producer and vice president of original programming, and Robert S. Scanlon is president of Velocity and Motor Trend Group Video Content.

About Motor Trend Group:
Motor Trend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery's fast-growing Velocity network and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social and live event portfolio, including Motor Trend, Hot Rod, ROADKILL, Automobile, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a cumulative reach of more than 131 million, the company encompasses television's #1 network for automotive super fans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel, and the Motor Trend App, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service.

About Discovery:
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; and digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit www.corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms. 

Season Five of "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." Premieres Winter 2019 on PBS, Beginning January 8

Season Five of "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." Premieres Winter 2019 on PBS, Beginning January 8
On tap this season: Felicity Huffman, Andy Samberg, George R.R. Martin, Christiane Amanpour, Michael Strahan, Laura Linney, Paul Ryan, Joe Madison, Michael Moore, Sarah Silverman, Kal Penn, Michael K. Williams, Tig Notaro, Lisa Ling, Alejandro Innaritu, Chloe Sevigny and more!

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[via press release from PBS] SEASON FIVE OF "FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR." PREMIERES WINTER 2019 ON PBS, BEGINNING JANUARY 8

10 All-New Episodes Explore Ancestry Stories of Felicity Huffman, Andy Samberg, George R.R. Martin, Christiane Amanpour, Michael Strahan, Laura Linney, Paul Ryan, Joe Madison, Michael Moore, Sarah Silverman, Kal Penn, Michael K. Williams, Tig Notaro, Lisa Ling, Alejandro Innaritu, Chloe Sevigny and More

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (July 31, 2018) - Today's brightest personalities discover the surprising stories buried within their own families in the fifth season of the critically acclaimed PBS series FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. The new ten-episode season will premiere on Tuesdays, beginning January 8, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS.
This season features an array of celebrated guests who are cultural trailblazers with fascinating family stories, including Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei; Emmy and Golden Globe Award winners Felicity Huffman, Laura Linney and S. Epatha Merkerson; and actors Michael K. Williams, Andy Samberg, Chloe Sevigny and Kal Penn. Season Five also includes superstar author George R.R. Martin; acclaimed journalists Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry, Joe Madison and Lisa Ling; bestselling author and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg; TV hosts Seth Meyers and Michael Strahan; artists Marina Abramovic and Kehinde Wiley; politicians Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and Paul Ryan; Academy Award-winning filmmakers Alejandro Innaritu and Michael Moore; and comedians Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman.

The roots of these guests cover the globe - from Samoa, Nigeria, Taiwan and Sicily to Iran, Ireland, India and Cuba - and almost everywhere in between. Their family trees are filled with compelling characters - slaves and kings, artists and entrepreneurs, abandoned children and missing parents, revolutionaries, soldiers, and a constant flow of ordinary individuals who did remarkable things, laying the groundwork for their successful descendants. Each episode weaves together these stories, gleaned from cutting-edge DNA analysis and old school genealogical detective work. Highlights include a search for Andy Samberg's biological grandparents, the discovery of Michael Strahan's deep European ancestry and the solution to a mystery that has plagued Ann Curry's family for her entire life.

At the center of it all, guiding every discovery, is host and executive producer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. "I find it inspiring that our fellow Americans are so determined to explore their own ancestral heritage," said Gates, "precisely at a time when immigration has become such a deeply controversial and sensitive matter. Our series demonstrates each week, in vivid detail and with moving storytelling, that a continuing source of strength for our country is the fact that we are a nation of immigrants. That we can serve as both guide and inspiration to the splendidly exciting pleasure of finding one's roots is an immense honor. I believe that the more each of us understands about where we came from, about what our ancestors experienced, and how those experiences have shaped us, whether we knew about them or not, the more richly we can live our lives."

In a very personal episode, the new season also explores Gates' own DNA story and takes a look at how science and history can inspire the next generation. Concerned about the lack of diversity in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Gates worked with Penn State professor Nina Jablonski and a committed group of historians, artists, biologists, geneticists, anthropologists, genealogists and educators to develop the "Finding Your Roots Genetics & Genealogy Curriculum," an educational model that invited students to consider who they are genetically, geologically/socio-culturally and intentionally. Once designed, the team piloted the curriculum in a two-week camp environment at two different locations in the U.S., where students developed hypotheses and research protocols. The project video won Facilitator's Choice and Viewer's Choice awards at the 2018 STEM For All Video Showcase, receiving tens of thousands of unique visitors from 154 countries.

Assembling the extensive family trees and family narratives alongside Dr. Gates are DNA expert CeCe Moore (Founder, The DNA Detective) and expert genealogist Johni Cerny (Founder, Lineages).

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Five premieres on Tuesdays, beginning Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. ET with an episode featuring Andy Samberg and George R.R. Martin, and the season continues into Spring 2019. Season Five includes the following episodes:
· "The Stories Encoded In Our DNA" with Andy Samberg and George R.R. Martin
· "Mystery Men" with Michael K. Williams and Felicity Huffman
· "Truth Tellers" with Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry and Lisa Ling
· "Dreaming of a New Land (Between Worlds)" with Sheryl Sandberg, Kal Penn and Marisa Tomei
· "Freedom Tales" with S. Epatha Merkerson and Michael Strahan
· "Into The Wild" with Laura Linney, Michael Moore and Chloe Sevigny
· "Roots in Politics" with Tulsi Gabbard, Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan
· "The Eye of the Beholder" with Marina Abramovic, Alejandro Innaritu and Kehinde Wiley
· "No Laughing Matter" with Tig Notaro, Seth Meyers and Sarah Silverman
· "All in the Family" with Joe Madison, Dr. Gates' personal DNA story and "The Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings" STEM Camp

In conjunction with the broadcast, co-producer WETA, the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital, will work with stations across the country to encourage viewers to explore and share their family histories via social media using the hashtag #FindingYourRoots on Facebook and Twitter, via Facebook.com/FindingYourRootsPBS and @HenryLouisGates, and on the series companion site, pbs.org/FindingYourRoots.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Five is a production of McGee Media, Inkwell Films, Kunhardt Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the writer, host, and executive producer. Dyllan McGee and Peter Kunhardt are executive producers. Dalton Delan and Anne Harrington are executive producers in charge for WETA. Bill Gardner is the executive in charge for PBS. Sabin Streeter of Ark Media is the senior producer. Hannah Olson is the series producer. Hazel Gurland-Pooler and Sabin Streeter are directors. Major corporate support for FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Five is provided by Ancestry, Johnson & Johnson and AT&T. Major support is also provided by the Ford Foundation, Candace King Weir, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

An electronic press kit for FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Five, including downloadable photos for promotional use, is available on PBS Pressroom.
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About WETA
WETA Washington, D.C., is one of the largest producing stations of new content for public television in the United States. WETA productions and co-productions include PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG, LATINO AMERICANS, THE ITALIAN AMERICANS and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org.

About McGee Media
McGee Media was founded by award-winning filmmaker Dyllan McGee to produce documentary content that is innovative, compelling, and immersive. Every story is born from a vision of a more fair and equitable world. Whether it is the sweeping history of the African-American experience, or the intimate personal stories of the hundreds of women who made up the feminist movement, McGee Media uses television, film, and digital media in radical new ways to inform and inspire. Recent projects include AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (PBS), MAKERS (Oath), FINDING YOUR ROOTS Seasons 1-5 (PBS), ONCE & FOR ALL (AOL), FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery), and RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (Discovery).

About Kunhardt Films
Kunhardt Films specializes in documentary programming about the people and ideas that shape American history. Most recently completed is the personal film BECOMING WARREN BUFFETT (HBO, 2017). Past productions include the Primetime Emmy and Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY. Other films include Emmy Award-nominated LIVING WITH LINCOLN (HBO) and Emmy Award-Nominated NIXON BY NIXON: IN HIS OWN WORDS (HBO, 2014); FINDING YOUR ROOTS SEASON 2 WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES JR; MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA (PBS & AOL, Season 2); THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (PBS, 6 hours, winner of the Emmy Award, Peabody Award and duPont-Columbia Award); GLORIA: IN HER OWN WORDS (HBO, 2011); FINDING YOUR ROOTS (PBS, 10-hours, 2010); THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE (PBS, 6-hours, 2010), and two seasons of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES for PBS. Kunhardt Films was founded in 1987 as Kunhardt Productions. It is run by Peter Kunhardt and his sons Teddy and George.

About Inkwell Films
Inkwell Films was founded by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to produce sophisticated documentary films about the African and African-American experience for a broad audience. The six-part PBS documentary series THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (2013) earned the 2013 Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award. Inkwell Films has co-produced FINDING YOUR ROOTS (Seasons 1-5), AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (2017), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK; AND STILL I RISE (2016), BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA (2011), FACES OF AMERICA (2010), LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (2009), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 (2008), OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006).

About Ark Media
Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin founded Ark Media in 1996, and were joined by partner John Maggio in 2003. Together, Goodman, Dretzin, and Maggio have grown Ark into a leading producer of non-fiction series, theatrical documentaries, and television specials on a wide variety of subjects, along the way nurturing a diverse roster of passionate and talented filmmakers. Ark's films have been honored with four national primetime Emmy Awards, an Academy Award nomination, multiple Writers Guild Awards, two duPont Columbia batons and three George H. Foster Peabody Awards, among many other awards and accolades. Coming soon: the feature documentary adaptation of Andrew Solomon's monumental nonfiction book, FAR FROM THE TREE, in partnership with Participant Media; an AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film about Teddy Roosevelt's fateful journey down an unknown Amazonian river in 1914, which almost cost him his life; a film for MSNBC about the press during the civil rights era; and a four-part series about genetics, based on Siddhartha Mukherjee's best-seller The Gene: An Intimate History. 

HBO Announces Series Order for "The Time Traveler's Wife"

HBO Announces Series Order for "The Time Traveler's Wife"
The project is an intricate and magical love story, adapted by Steven Moffat from the much loved novel by Audrey Niffenegger.

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[via press release from HBO] THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
HBO Drama Series Order
Logline:
An intricate and magical love story, adapted by Steven Moffat from the much loved novel by Audrey Niffenegger. The Time Traveler's Wife tells the story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem... time travel.
Credits:
Executive Producer/Writer: Steven Moffat
Executive Producer: Sue Vertue
Executive Producer: Brian Minchin
Based on the novel by Audrey Niffenegger
Production Companies: Hartswood Films in association with Warner Bros. Television

Steven Moffat Quote: "I read Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife many years ago, and I fell in love with it. In fact, I wrote a Doctor Who episode called The Girl In The Fireplace as a direct response to it. When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realised she was probably on to me. All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It's a story of happy ever after? - ?but not necessarily in that order."

Casey Bloys Quote: "We are thrilled to be partnering with Steven Moffat, Hartswood and WBTV on The Time Traveler's Wife. Steven's passion is evident in every project he's written and we are certain that his love and respect for this mesmerizing and textured novel will make it a quintessential HBO series".

Hartswood Quote: "HBO is the perfect home to tell this incredible story with all the scale and space it needs, and we're delighted to be working with Warner Bros to bring Steven's thrilling vision of the novel to life." 

National Geographic Taps Into a Community of World-Renowned Wildlife Cinematographers and Photographers to Bring Viewers the Four-Night Multi-Platform Event "Yellowstone Live"

National Geographic Taps Into a Community of World-Renowned Wildlife Cinematographers and Photographers to Bring Viewers the Four-Night Multi-Platform Event "Yellowstone Live"
To complement the live broadcast, National Geographic will give viewers behind-the-scene access and the chance to experience more of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem on the network's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

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[via press release from National Geographic Channel] NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TAPS INTO A COMMUNITY OF WORLD-RENOWNED WILDLIFE CINEMATOGRAPHERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS TO BRING VIEWERS THE FOUR-NIGHT MULTI-PLATFORM EVENT "YELLOWSTONE LIVE"

More than 34 Live Cameras Will Capture America's Greatest Wilderness - The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - in Epic, Breathtaking Fashion Beginning August 5, at 9/8c
YELLOWSTONE LIVE is Simulcast on Nat Geo WILD from August 6 Through August 8
(Washington DC., July 31, 2018) Beginning Sunday, August 5, at 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT, National Geographic will embark on the journey of a lifetime with the summer's biggest and boldest live television event, YELLOWSTONE LIVE, a four-night multi-platform extravaganza that will showcase the best of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

To complement the live broadcast, National Geographic will give viewers behind-the-scene access and the chance to experience more of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem on the network's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

National Geographic's filmmakers and photographers, an elite group of the world's greatest adventurers, photographers, filmmakers and researchers, will transport nature's outdoor theater straight to the small screen in real time when literally anything can happen.
YELLOWSTONE LIVE channels the following expertise:
· Bob Poole - Emmy Award-winning cinematographer who filmed hyenas in Ethiopia during National Geographic's EARTH LIVE
· Jeff Hogan - Emmy Award-winning cinematographer and wildlife photographer who produced National Geographic's WILD YELLOWSTONE
· Arthur Middleton - Ecologist; National Geographic Society Fellow and lead researcher in National Geographic's Beyond Yellowstone project
· Joe Riis - Ecologist; National Geographic photographer of animal migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
· Bob Landis - Wildlife filmmaker who is based in the Greater Yellowstone Area
· Doug Smith -National Geographic-funded scientist; wolf biologist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

These storytellers are at the helm of this unrivaled live broadcast, which sweeps through more than 22 million acres of wilderness, where approximately 400 animal species call home and more than four million tourists flock to each year. From stealth wolf packs on the hunt to 600-pound grizzlies invading campsites to the migration patterns of pronghorn sheep, National Geographic's experts will help tell the vivid story of Yellowstone from their accomplished perspectives and also underscore the importance of conservation.

"The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a unique epicenter for animal migrations - for example, more than 20,000 elk in at least nine major herds travel the migratory corridors with Yellowstone National Park and its adjacent lands," says Arthur Middleton, an ecologist and National Geographic Society Fellow who leads the research on National Geographic's Beyond Yellowstone project. "These movements are the veins and arteries of the ecosystem and are a prime example of how no part of the western landscape can be separated from the larger whole. Through recent discoveries, we're able to better understand what threatens these migrations and how we can protect them."

"With its stunning landscapes and diverse wildlife, Yellowstone National Park embodies some of the best of what our country has to offer and is a testament to why we must all work together to defend these treasured places," says Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). "It's our hope that after people fall in love with the park and the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, they will be transformed from visitors to champions."

From National Geographic's wilderness home base in West Yellowstone, host Josh Elliott will navigate viewers on our trek across America's national treasure. Chris Packham, animal expert, will join Elliott in studio alongside some of Yellowstone's native wildlife. In addition, YELLOWSTONE LIVE's "Roving Reporter" Jenna Wolfe will be in the field to interview key people whose lives and work are dedicated to maintaining the historic region. Together, they will give viewers access to prime locations across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - from the Gallatin Mountain Range and Lamar Valley to Old Faithful and much more.

YELLOWSTONE LIVE will be captured by a complex network of 34 live cameras, 200 crew, cutting-edge, first-ever cell-phone bundling technology to broadcast in the most remote locations, live-audience interaction; digital coverage on multiple platforms and innovative technologies including the following:
· A "Magma Cam," a thermal imaging camera, which will reveal Yellowstone's thermal features
· Aerial views of essential wildfire
· Aerial filming of a wolf pack in remote wilderness area
· Footage from inside a beaver lodge
And, join the conversation during the show itself, and help National Geographic name an adorable great grey owl by tweeting using #yellowstonelive and @NatGeoChannel.

YELLOWSTONE LIVE is produced by Plimsoll Productions in association with Berman Productions, Inc. for National Geographic. For Plimsoll Productions, Andrew Jackson, James Smith, Martha Holmes and Grant Mansfield are executive producers. For Berman Productions, Inc., Al Berman is executive producer. For National Geographic, Kevin Tao Mohs is executive producer.
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About National Geographic Partners LLC:
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers ... and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Plimsoll Productions
Plimsoll Productions creates and produces non-scripted programming for the international television market from offices in Bristol, Los Angeles and Cardiff. The award-winning creative team has produced some of the biggest factual hits in recent years, winning Emmy Awards as well as top honors from BAFTA and RTS. Since launching five years ago, the company has produced over 50 series for domestic and international networks, including Earth Live (Nat Geo), Rescue Dog to Super Dog (Animal Planet), First Brit (Channel 4) and the upcoming Camp Zambia (Love Nature, Smithsonian Networks) and Hostile Planet (NatGeo) among many more. Last year, the company earned the fifth position in the Sunday Times' annual Fast Track 100, the third position in the annual Fast Track Export List and the British Chamber of Commerce awarded the company the High Growth Business of the Year award, making Plimsoll the first independent production company to ever be honored with the award.

About Berman Productions
From the very first LIVE reveal on the season finale of "Survivor" on CBS, to his most recent production, National Geographic's epic "Earth Live," Al Berman has produced more than 6000 hours of live network television and has received 4 Emmy awards. Berman has produced some of the highest-rated and groundbreaking shows in TV history, and strives for innovation with every new project. He's considered one of the top producers of live and live-to-tape programming in the world. Recently, Berman created and Executive-Produced "Earth Live," a live, 2-hour television event documenting wildlife around the globe with 59 cameras from 25 locations in 15 countries on 6 continents. On Fox's "Heaven Sent," he chronicled skydiver Luke Aikins' 5-mile jump from the sky, without a parachute, and his safe landing in a specially designed net. Berman's unique collaboration with NASA yielded "Live From Space," featuring 6 hours of live television from the International Space Station, 250 miles high in the atmosphere, and Mission Control in Houston. 

OWN Announces Second Season Renewal of Hit Romantic Drama"Love Is ___" from Award-Winning Creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil

OWN Announces Second Season Renewal of Hit Romantic Drama"Love Is ___" from Award-Winning Creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil
Brock Akil serves as the series' showrunner, as well as director for the pilot and upcoming season finale episode (Tuesday, August 21).

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[via press release from OWN] OWN ANNOUNCES SECOND SEASON RENEWAL OF HIT ROMANTIC DRAMA"LOVE IS ___" FROM AWARD-WINNING CREATORS MARA BROCK AKIL AND SALIM AKIL

Los Angeles - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it has renewed for a second season its hit romantic drama series "Love Is___" from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil ("Being Mary Jane," "The Game," "Girlfriends") and Salim Akil ("Black Lightning"). The Akils created and executive produced the series through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. Brock Akil serves as the series' showrunner, as well as director for the pilot and upcoming season finale episode (Tuesday, August 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT).

"Love Is___" (Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) premiered June 19 with 1.2 million viewers and a 1.2 W25-54 rating (L+3) and was the night's #2 telecast on all of television among African American women. The July 17 telecast achieved a series high across all key demos and total viewers with 1.4 million viewers and a 1.51 W25-54 rating. On average over its series run, "Love Is___" ranks as the #1 show on cable in its time period with W25-54.

"Mara and Salim have brought their heart and soul to this passion project working with our friends at Warner Horizon Scripted Television and we couldn't be more thrilled to renew the show for a second season," said Erik Logan, president, OWN. "This series is an important part of OWN's scripted programming lineup and to see the ratings grow as the Akils' love story unfolds each week is truly exciting."

About "Love Is___"
(Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
Set primarily in 1990's Los Angeles against the backdrop of Black Hollywood, "Love Is___" follows Nuri (Michele Weaver) and Yasir (Will Catlett), a couple from seemingly opposite worlds, as they chase their dreams and learn to follow their hearts. Told from the perspective of the couple's present-day selves, the romantic drama also revisits the social issues and vibrant black culture of that time reflecting on how it all aligned to shape the couple they have become nearly 20 years later -- a power couple navigating a complex set of social codes while also balancing successful careers and a beautiful family. Drawing inspiration from creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil's own relationship journey, the series explores the highs, the lows, and the magic of falling (and staying) in love.

The cast includes series regulars Michele Weaver ("Illicit") as 'Nuri,' a bubbly personality with big dreams who is struggling to make a name for herself as a sitcom staff writer while juggling an assortment of romances that only leave her partly fulfilled; Will Catlett ("Black Lightning") as 'Yasir,' an aspiring writer/director who is down to his last two unemployment checks and lives (unhappily) with his on-and-off again ex 'Ruby,' played by Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing ("Alles Voor Elkaar"). Tyrone Marshall Brown ("Bull") portrays 'Sean,' Yasir's opinionated friend who possesses great taste and is full of ideas but lacks follow through; and Idara Victor ("Mad Men") stars as 'Angela,' a member of the same writing staff with Nuri who doesn't always agree with everything Nuri says, mainly because she is a disgruntled drama writer stuck in a comedy she doesn't believe in. TV veteran Kadeem Hardison ("A Different World") is 'Norman,' the executive producer of the hit sit-com "Marvin" and tough boss of Nuri and Angela who is hard to impress and even harder to amuse; Clarke Peters ("The Wire") portrays present day 'Wiser Yasir,' handsome, still-confident and Nuri's husband of many years; and Wendy Davis ("Army Wives") is 'Wiser Nuri,' who is a more relaxed, happy, and comfortable version of herself both in life and in her marriage to Yasir.

"Love Is___" also features Primetime Emmy(R)-winner Loretta Devine ("Grey's Anatomy"), NAACP Image Award-nominee Vanessa Bell Calloway ("Coming to America"), NAACP Image Award-winner Tim Reid ("Sister, Sister"), Tosin Morohunfola ("The Chi"), Tammy Townsend ("Sherri"), and Michael King ("Black Lightning"), all with recurring roles.

About Akil Productions
Founded in 2000 by prolific producers Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, Akil Productions has become one of the foremost creators of television and film projects that poignantly explores the nuances of human experience through diverse characters and storylines. With hundreds of hours of content to their credit, The Akils have earned a reputation for being two of the most influential African-American storytellers in Hollywood while entertaining millions of viewers along the way. The company's most recent project is the romantic drama "Love Is ___" which premiered on OWN in June and is currently airing its first season. Drawing inspiration from their own relationship journey, the series explores the highs, the lows, and the magic of falling (and staying) in love. With Brock Akil leading as showrunner, the series has further proven Brock Akil's innate ability to connect and engage with viewers in a deeply personal way through storytelling. Additionally, this year Akil Productions debuted the critically acclaimed series "Black Lightning" based on the first African-American superhero created by DC Comics. Since debuting on The CW earlier this year, the series has been hailed by fans and critics alike for elevating the ever-popular superhero genre through thoughtful, honest conversations about the African-American experience. Developed for television by Akil, who also serves as showrunner, the series will return for its second season this fall on October 9. The Akils executive produce both projects through their overall deal at Warner Bros. Television, which they inked in 2016 through the Akil Productions banner. The Akils, through the shingle, are responsible for producing over 350 episodes of television, including the popular BET drama "Being Mary Jane," the record-breaking ensemble comedy "The Game," and the seminal sitcom "Girlfriends." The latter of which is still considered to be groundbreaking in its portrayal of black womanhood through an honest, authentic, and intelligent lens during its 8-season run. Additionally, Akil Productions has been behind such films as "Jumping the Broom," which Akil made his directorial debut on; the high-profile remake of "Sparkle," which Brock Akil wrote and Akil directed. Prior to forming their professional partnership and launching Akil Productions, the pair earned credits individually playing pivotal roles on such beloved television series as "Soul Food," "Moesha," and "The Jamie Foxx Show."

About OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand and the magnetism of the channel. OWN is a leading destination for premium scripted and unscripted programming from today's most innovative storytellers. OWN's original scripted series include popular dramas "Queen Sugar," "Greenleaf," "Love Is __," "The Have and Have Nots, "If Loving You is Wrong," hit sitcom "The Paynes," and upcoming drama series "David Makes Man" from Academy Award-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and "Ambitions" from box office hit-maker Will Packer. OWN's Saturday night unscripted programming lineup includes "Iyanla: Fix My Life," "Book of John Gray," "Black Love," "Mind Your Business with Mahisha" and the recently announced dating series "Ready to Love." OWN connects with its audience wherever they are, inspiring conversation among a global community of like-minded viewers on social media and beyond. Launched on January 1, 2011, OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. Access OWN anytime, anywhere on WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own.

About Warner Horizon Scripted Television
A division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Horizon Scripted Television was founded in 2006 and is one of the entertainment industry's leading producers of dramatic and comedic programming for the cable and subscription/on-demand marketplace. Series produced by Warner Horizon Scripted Television include Animal Kingdom and Claws for TNT; American Woman for Paramount Network; David Makes Man, Love Is___ and Queen Sugar for OWN; Fuller House for Netflix; Krypton for SYFY; Pennyworth for EPIX; Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists for Freeform; and You for Lifetime. 

Buddy Valastro and His Family Sifts Out the Competition in Discovery Family's New Series "Bake It Like Buddy"

Buddy Valastro and His Family Sifts Out the Competition in Discovery Family's New Series "Bake It Like Buddy"
Each week, two extremely talented, passionate and creative baking family duos face-off against each other in a fun head-to-head bake off at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey.

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[via press release from Discovery Family Channel] BUDDY VALASTRO AND HIS FAMILY SIFTS OUT THE COMPETITION IN DISCOVERY FAMILY'S NEW SERIES "BAKE IT LIKE BUDDY"

- Baking Duos Face Off in the Brand-new 25-episode Original Series Beginning Saturday, September 8 at 9/8c -

(Miami, FL) - Buddy Valastro is back, and he's bringing his family along for a brand-new competition series featuring America's best baking families in Discovery Family's BAKE IT LIKE BUDDY, premiering Saturday, September 8 at 9/8c with two back-to-back episodes. New half-hour episodes of the series will stream live on Discovery Family GO and will also be available on demand the following day.

Each week on BAKE IT LIKE BUDDY, two extremely talented, passionate and creative baking family duos face-off against each other in a fun head-to-head bake off at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey. The contestants, spanning from professionals to emerging chefs to passionate weekend bakers, will have every fiber of their baking abilities tested as Buddy sets a unique challenge in each episode. With help from his own family and Carlo's Bakery staff, Buddy and two members of his team mentor and judge the visiting family's delicious creations on design, flavor, technique, finish and how well the contestants followed a central theme -- ranging from unicorns, sci-fi, 3D, Halloween and much more! The two teams have only four hours to design, bake, and decorate a cake for the chance to win a $1,000 cash prize, professional baking supplies and most importantly, bragging rights!

Throughout the competition, Buddy and his family members inspire and help the bakers take their skills to the next level with tips, real-time feedback and design assistance. This season, teams from across the country including mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, cousins, sisters, twins, best friends and more will compete to have their cake and eat it too in an emotionally charged, all you can eat cake battle where family is just as important as the ingredients.

BAKE IT LIKE BUDDY is produced for Discovery Family Channel by Cakehouse Media. Art Edwards and Buddy Valastro are the executive producers for Cakehouse Media. Michela Giorelli is the executive producer for Discovery Family Channel. To learn more, visit http://www.discoveryfamilychannel.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DiscFamily and on Twitter @DiscoveryFamily.

About Discovery Family
The leading television destination for families in the United States, Discovery Family is available in more than 55 million U.S. homes and is a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro. Discovery Family is programmed with an inspirational mix of family-friendly series and movies and Hasbro Studios' popular animation franchises, including MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, LITTLEST PET SHOP and the Emmy-winning TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS. Families can enjoy their favorite shows anytime, anywhere through Discovery Family GO - the network's first TV Everywhere app offering live and on demand access to your favorite Discovery Family series and specials. For 2018-to-date, Discovery Family ranks as the #1 most co-viewed kid's network among Kids 2-11 watching with an Adult 18-49 in Total Day and Prime. 

Hallmark Channel Heats Up with Original Movie Premieres That Travel the World During "Summer Nights"

Hallmark Channel Heats Up with Original Movie Premieres That Travel the World During "Summer Nights"
Viewers with wanderlust will be able to travel to exotic locations including South Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific beaches of Fiji from the comfort of their own homes.

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[via press release from The Hallmark Channel] HALLMARK CHANNEL HELPS VIEWERS TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERES PART OF 'SUMMER NIGHTS' PROGRAMMING EVENT WEEKLY DEPARTURES BEGIN EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH AUGUST 25

Caribbean Ports O' Call, South Pacific Beaches and Home Sweet Home Await Viewers
This summer, Hallmark Channel takes viewers on an exciting trip around the world with its annual Summer Nights programming event celebrating the sun-drenched days of leisure and love. Viewers with wanderlust will be able to travel to exotic locations including South Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific beaches of Fiji from the comfort of their own homes.

For viewers who dream of vacationing on the beaches of a tropical island, a trip to the South Pacific is next on the itinerary with two original movies. "A Summer to Remember" stars Catherine Bell ("JAG," "Army Wives" and Cameron Mathison ("All My Children," "Entertainment Tonight") and premieres Saturday, August 4 (9 p.m. ET/PT). Shot on location in Fiji, Bell stars as an ER doctor who retreats to the island with her teen daughter so they can reconnect and hopes to recapture the tranquility she found there years ago with her late husband. During the trip, hiking through picturesque jungles, paddle boarding, horseback riding - and possibly love - are on the agenda.
Next, an exciting voyage is in store for viewers with "Love at Sea," premiering Saturday, August 11 (9 p.m. ET/PT). Real-life husband and wife Alexa PenaVega (Spy Kids) and Carlos PenaVega ("Big Time Rush") head out on the high seas aboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas as it cruises to exciting ports o' call including Jamaica, Nassau, St. Thomas and Cozumel. Alexa stars as an event planner organizing a multifaceted event on board the ship and thinks she has everything set to the last detail... until she learns she'll be dealing with the rookie, substitute cruise director, portrayed by Carlos, who has his own way of doing things that puts a wrench in her carefully thought out plans.
Also jetting off to Fiji are Jill Wagner ("Wipeout") and Kristoffer Polaha ("Ballers," "Get Shorty") for "Pearl in Paradise" premiering Saturday, August 18 (9 p.m. ET/PT). Wagner stars as a photographer for a nature magazine who hopes to become its new creative director but first, she must come up with a winning angle for the cover of their 30th anniversary issue. She enlists the help of a romance novelist (Polaha), who she's convinced will help her locate a rare blue pearl buried somewhere on Fiji that was the subject of one of his bestselling books. Their adventure leads them from the comfort of a luxurious resort through the rugged yet lush jungles of the island, punctuated by cool streams and awe-inspiring waterfalls.

Another destination this summer is home sweet home in "Season for Love" premiering Saturday, August 25 (9 p.m. ET/PT). After her divorce, Tyler (Autumn Reeser, ("The Arrangement," "The O.C.") returns to her hometown to spend the summer with her daughter and mother. Her mother owns and operates a local, once-popular BBQ restaurant. At her daughter's urging, Tyler signs up for the town's famous, annual BBQ competition, where she soon realizes her high-school sweetheart (Marc Blucas, "Underground," "Miss Christmas"), now a celebrity chef, is back in town and part of the contest. As the two are forced to spend time together, old feelings resurface but Tyler convinces herself she has no room for distractions, especially when there is a competition to win.
Hallmark Channel has your travel plans booked for summer 2018, without the need to worry about packing or booking a flight. Viewers just need to sit back, relax and spend Saturday nights with all-new, original movie premieres. 

PBS Wants YOU to Join "The Great American Read"

PBS Wants YOU to Join "The Great American Read"
In addition to the nationwide reading campaign, the eight-part television series returns to PBS stations on Tuesday, September 11 at 8:00/7:00c.

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[via press release from PBS] PBS Wants YOU to Join THE GREAT AMERICAN READ
- The First-of-Its-Kind National Celebration of Books Combines Original Digital Content, Multi-Platform Resources, National Partnerships and Local Activities Taking Place in Communities
Around The Country -

BEVERLY HILLS, CA; JULY 30, 2018 - Something "bookish" is going on, and PBS wants to encourage everyone to be a part of it. Launched this past April and continuing throughout the fall, PBS' THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is asking people across the country to read, vote and share in the first-ever national campaign to choose "America's Best-Loved Novel." In addition to the nationwide reading campaign, the eight-part television series returns to PBS stations on Tuesday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The campaign encompasses a wide range of community engagement activities, as well as digital and social initiatives, all leading up to an exciting finale airing Tuesday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS stations.
Titles included on the top 100 list of America's favorite novels run the gamut from modern-day pop-culture hits to beloved children's classics that have stood the test of time; from science fiction adventures to historic literature written hundreds of years ago; from thrillers that keep us on the edge of our seats to complex personal journeys that raise challenging social issues. THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is one of the most extensive national celebrations of books ever, and it's just getting started. To date, almost 2 million votes have been cast in America's search for its "Best-Loved Novel."

Viewers are currently able to vote for their favorite titles at pbs.org/greatamericanread, through hashtag voting via Facebook and Twitter, and through SMS texting using the dedicated book hashtag that can be found here. In the fall, viewers will also be able to cast their vote toll-free by phone.
"THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is a national celebration of literature and reading on an unprecedented scale, and a forum for the sharing of inspiration, ideas and what it means to be American from various perspectives," said Bill Gardner, Vice President of Programming & Development for PBS. "We are thrilled that the public has embraced THE GREAT AMERICAN READ in the way that it has. All over the country, people are reading, voting and sharing their passion for their top titles with friends, family and neighbors, attending local events and joining the conversation on our digital platforms. This is exactly what THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is all about."

"We are elated to see how engaged the American audience has been with THE GREAT AMERICAN READ across all PBS platforms and hope to see the trend continue as we head into the finale this fall," said Jane Root, Nutopia CEO and founder. "I myself am currently half way through four books on the list I'd never read before - and I love them all. What a joy to make these discoveries. Thank you to everyone who has voted or shown their passion for books in the wonderful reading group."
To raise awareness and generate participation in THE GREAT AMERICAN READ on a national level, PBS has engaged key partners, including the Library of Congress, the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Partner activities have included reading and screening events, branded displays, voting stations and forging local partnerships with PBS stations. In addition, under the banner of THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, PBS has partnered with First Book, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster to provide book donations across the country through local PBS member stations.
Locally, PBS stations are offering events and educational opportunities related to THE GREAT AMERICAN READ in communities from coast to coast. Throughout the summer and leading up to the grand finale, more than two dozen PBS member stations will host over 125 literary-themed events to connect families to THE GREAT AMERICAN READ through hands-on activities, with stations such as Detroit Public Television, Nashville Public Television, WNET in New York, WETA in Washington, DC, and WUCF in Orlando leading the charge. These events include book clubs, author appearances and readings, screenings, book-themed family activities and more. For example, Detroit's literary social media series, "PBS Books," is broadening the reach of some of the nation's biggest book festivals in support of THE GREAT AMERICAN READ. Nashville and WUCF are leveraging their already robust community partnerships and sharing best practices with colleagues across public media. WNET will utilize its content-sharing platform, Wavelength, to make customizable companion programs for THE GREAT AMERICAN READ. Throughout the fall, PBS will continue to work with stations across the country to develop resources that will encourage, promote and support the local initiatives that are taking root nationwide.

New original digital content inspired by THE GREAT AMERICAN READ includes two new Facebook Watch miniseries from the award-winning PBS Digital Studios. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis, IT'S LIT is a six-episode limited series of video essays that celebrates the role of books in popular culture and explores why Americans love to read. The series maximizes Facebook's community features to drive conversation and commentary in a shareable and engaging way. READ AWAKENING is a four-part literary variety show that blends comedy, music and more, hosted by Dominique Taylor and produced with funding support from Black Public Media. Described as a modern version of the hit children's series READING RAINBOW, READ AWAKENING features enlightening conversations about books, influencers and trends within the literary community. More than 900,000 people follow PBS Digital Studios content across its six active Facebook Watch pages. The content has generated more than 1.8 million shares and produces 2 million average monthly views.

The fun continues across PBS' social media platforms, where readers are encouraged to share their personal connections to the titles on the top 100 list and beyond. PBS' Facebook book club dedicated to THE GREAT AMERICAN READ has more than 36,000 members, and over 333,000 people have completed the quiz about how many of the 100 books they've read. Since THE GREAT AMERICAN READ website launched, it has received over 5 million page views, and more than 3,000 people have submitted personal stories about their favorite novels. In addition, THE GREAT AMERICAN READ has more than 150,000 followers across its dedicated social pages, and more than 90,000 people have signed up to receive THE GREAT AMERICAN READ newsletter to stay up to date with the program's latest developments.

This fall, PBS will also offer PreK-12 teachers an easy way to integrate THE GREAT AMERICAN READ into their instruction with a range of curriculum-aligned videos and interactive lesson plans. Teachers can use these resources to enhance homework assignments and kick-start classroom discussions. THE GREAT AMERICAN READcollection is currently available on PBS LearningMedia. In addition, this fall, PBS Digital Innovators will host three Virtual Professional Learning Events for teachers, PBS Education will host a similar event aimed at educators of early childhood learners and PBS TeacherLine will offer several courses for early childhood educators who teach young readers.

To complement THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, PBS KIDS is hosting "PBS KIDS Read" as part of the annual summer learning initiative for children ages 2-8 and their families. Available on PBS Parents, "PBS KIDS Read" encourages reading and related activities through a variety of resources for kids and parents, including book lists, tips for new readers and other literacy resources.
Funding for THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is provided by The Anne Ray Foundation and PBS. In addition, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has provided grants, in partnership with PBS, to public media stations across the country to create local content and host screenings and forums to encourage summer reading and participation in the initiative.

THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is a production of Nutopia for PBS. The program is executive produced by Jane Root, Michael Cascio, Bob Kirsh and Charles Marquardt; co-executive produced by Rebecca Ratliff Cameron; line produced by Rachael Jerahian; and produced by Nilam Agrawal-Desai, Katherine Linton, Kate Chumley, Justine Simonson, Michelle Smawley, Siobhan Lockhart, Annie Wong and Tomek Gross. Bill Gardner, Vice President of Programming and Development, is executive in charge for PBS, and Bethany Latham is project director.

Amplifying the on-air and online series content will be a fully illustrated companion book, The Great American Read: The Book of Books, which will include information about the 100 novels, author profiles, rare images of original manuscripts and more, plus a foreword by THE GREAT AMERICAN READ host Meredith Vieira, to be published by Black Dog & Leventhal and made available on Tuesday, August 21.

About Nutopia
Nutopia is a leading television production company creating innovative, award-winning, premium content on a global scale. Founded in 2008 by Jane Root, former President of Discovery Channel US, Controller of BBC2 and co-founder of Wall to Wall TV, Nutopia created the 'mega doc' model, blending huge scale history series and high-profile talent from the worlds of documentary and drama. In 2017, the company entered in to a creative partnership with Academy Award(R)-nominated feature film producers Roast Beef. Nutopia has become synonymous with creating high quality content that stands out from the crowd, working with some of the most prominent global broadcasters including Netflix, CNN, National Geographic, the BBC, PBS and A+E Networks. Critical successes include the Emmy Award-winning series HOW WE GOT TO NOW; two seasons of ratings smash FINDING JESUS. FAITH. FACT. FORGERY; Emmy Award-winning series AMERICA THE STORY OF US and MANKIND THE STORY OF ALL OF US. Upcoming projects include THE LAST CZARS and BABIES for Netflix.

About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 90 million people through television and 30 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. 

PBS Announces "Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History," New Collaboration with Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. Three-Hour Documentary to Premiere Spring 2020 on PBS

PBS Announces "Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History," New Collaboration with Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. Three-Hour Documentary to Premiere Spring 2020 on PBS
"Science for me, like history, is the exploration of what has come before and the promise of the future," said Ken Burns.

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[via press release from PBS] PBS Announces KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, New Collaboration with Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. Three-Hour Documentary to Premiere Spring 2020 on PBS

- Barak Goodman to Produce Major Series Inspired by Mukherjee's Award-Winning Book -
- WETA Washington, D.C., Will Convene Partners to Create a National Engagement Campaign, Including Online Initiatives and Public Screenings Across the U.S. -

BEVERLY HILLS, CA; July 30, 2018 - Today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS announced KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, a new three-hour documentary executive produced by Ken Burns, will premiere over three nights in Spring 2020 on PBS. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns will collaborate on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee's best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History. Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman will produce and, in addition to Burns and Goodman, the film will largely have the same production team behind the Emmy Award-nominated CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, an adaption of Mukherjee's earlier 2010 book that aired in 2015 on PBS.

"Science for me, like history, is the exploration of what has come before and the promise of the future," said Ken Burns. "Working with Sid and Barak and the larger team on the CANCER film was an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the science behind cancer and the history of so many individuals and generations who have devoted their lives to fighting the disease, leading to today's amazing breakthroughs. THE GENE will allow us to untangle what is in some ways a more complicated story, the code of life itself, and see how that understanding is being applied to science and medicine today."

"It is truly an honor to be involved in this historic production," said Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at the Department of Medicine (Oncology), Columbia University and staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center. "Genes influence our forms and our fates, our behaviors and choices, and the forms, fates, behaviors and choices of every living being. We are living in an era when humans are beginning to read and write this 'code of codes' - our own code - with astonishing and unprecedented facility. Drawing elements from history, science, anthropology, ethics and medicine, this Ken Burns production will demonstrate how our understanding of genetics has evolved over the decades, and how deeply our future will be impacted by it. From the birth of genetics in the pea-garden of a modest monastery in Central Europe to the sweeping excesses of eugenics in Germany and the United States, from the stories of scientists who first discovered the structure of DNA to the recent attempts to change the genetic material of human embryos, from the identification of the first genes that cause human illnesses such as cancer and Cystic Fibrosis to the landmark experiments that led to the mapping of the human genome, this film will bring an immensely powerful and impactful science - and its enormous influence on culture - to life on the screen."
WETA, a co-producer of the film and the leading public broadcasting station in the nation's capital, originally announced in October 2016 that the public broadcaster had secured the rights to develop The Gene: An Intimate History into a documentary series executive produced by Ken Burns. Burns and Mukherjee were originally brought together by WETA President and CEO Sharon Percy Rockefeller in late 2010, soon after she read Mukherjee's book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer during treatment for cancer at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

"I am delighted WETA continues the collaboration with Ken and Sid," said Rockefeller. "Just as CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES opened up a meaningful dialogue between patients, doctors and researchers, we believe that bringing THE GENE to television will be a groundbreaking opportunity to broaden public understanding of this fascinating and important subject."

Now in active production, KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, much like the book, will use science, social history and personal stories to weave together a historical biography of the human genome while also exploring the stunning breakthroughs in understanding the impact genes play on heredity, disease and behavior. From the story of the remarkable achievements of the earliest gene hunters and the bitterly fought race to read the entire human genome, to the unparalleled ethical challenges of gene editing, the documentary will journey through key genetics discoveries that are some of the greatest achievements in the history of science.
"PBS and local stations have a legacy of raising awareness of medical science through in-depth documentaries," said Paula A. Kerger, PBS President and CEO. "We expect this film to break new ground and spur dialogue, much the same way we did with CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES."

"We are very pleased to support this important work from Ken Burns as part of our commitment to serving the America people through content and engagement that has the power to inform us on health issues and make a difference in our lives," said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

WETA has assembled an advisory committee of leading scientists and National Academy of Sciences (NAS) members for THE GENE that will work with the filmmakers to offer expert analysis of the film's scientific content. Committee members include Nobel Prize winners Dr. David Baltimore, president emeritus, Robert Andrews Millikan professor of biology, Caltech; Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, President Emerita, Salk Institute; Dr. Phillip Sharp, professor, MIT/David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research; and Dr. Harold Varmus, former director, National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute. In addition, the advisory board includes R. Alta Charo, University of Wisconsin/co-chair of the new National Academy of Sciences Human Gene Editing Advisory Group; Dr. Francis Collins, director, National Institutes of Health; Sir Michael Stratton, director, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and chief executive officer, Wellcome Genome Campus; Dr. Eric Topol, director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; and Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital.

Mukherjee will serve as a consultant, creative advisor and executive producer to the production. His book upon which the documentary is based reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and received wide critical acclaim. Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See, wrote, "This is perhaps the greatest detective story ever told - a millennia-long search, led by a thousand explorers, from Aristotle to Mendel to Francis Collins, for the question marks at the center of every living cell. Like The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene is prodigious, sweeping, and ultimately transcendent. If you're interested in what it means to be human, today and in the tomorrows to come, you must read this book."

Integral to the project will be an extensive engagement program that will be created by WETA, in collaboration with an array of partners, in particular the National Institute of Health's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Production and outreach funders Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health; 23andMe; American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its Conquer Cancer Foundation; Basser Initiative at Gray Foundation; Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Foundation Medicine, Inc.; Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation; and major funder the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will support project initiatives to expand the reach of the series. The involvement of these partners will enable the film to reach an even larger audience, engaging researchers, physicians and patients in the national conversation about the topic. In the months building up to the national broadcast premiere, the group will organize screenings and discussions in cities across the country, working with local public television stations and a wide range of educational, medical and scientific organizations.

In conjunction with the broadcast, WETA will also develop a robust interactive website and social and digital media components, including a multi-media educational initiative designed to engage teachers and students through multiple platforms.

KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY is a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media. Executive Producer and Senior Creative Consultant: Ken Burns. Written by Geoffrey Ward and Kenneth L. Burns; and Barak Goodman and David Blistein. Based on the book The Gene: An Intimate History by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. Produced by Barak Goodman. Executive Producers: Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Dalton Delan, Tom Chiodo and Anne Harrington. Production and outreach funding has been provided by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health; 23andMe; American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its Conquer Cancer Foundation; Basser Initiative at Gray Foundation; Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Foundation Medicine, Inc.; and Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation. Major funding has also been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

- PBS -
WETA Washington, D.C., is one of the largest producing stations of new content for public television in the United States. WETA productions and co-productions include PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG, LATINO AMERICANS, THE ITALIAN AMERICANS and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns, including Ken Burns Presents CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES A Film by Barak Goodman, and films by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org.

Ark Media was founded by Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin in 1996, and they were joined by partner John Maggio in 2003. Together, Goodman, Dretzin, and Maggio have grown Ark into a leading producer of non-fiction series, theatrical documentaries, and television specials on a wide variety of subjects, along the way nurturing a diverse roster of passionate and talented filmmakers. Ark's films have been honored with four national primetime Emmy Awards, an Academy Award nomination, multiple Writers Guild Awards, two duPont Columbia batons and three George H. Foster Peabody Awards, among many other awards and accolades. Coming soon: the feature documentary adaptation of Andrew Solomon's monumental nonfiction book, FAR FROM THE TREE, in partnership with Participant Media; an AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film about Teddy Roosevelt's fateful journey down an unknown Amazonian river in 1914, which almost cost him his life; a film for MSNBC about the press during the civil rights era; and a four-part series about genetics, based on Siddhartha Mukherjee's best-seller The Gene: An Intimate History.

About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 90 million people through television and 30 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services. More information about CPB is available at www.cpb.org. 

PBS and "American Experience" Announce "Woodstock," New Documentary from Filmmaker Barak Goodman

PBS and "American Experience" Announce "Woodstock," New Documentary from Filmmaker Barak Goodman
The film is directed by Barak Goodman, written by Goodman and Don Kleszy, and produced by Goodman and Jamila Ephron, with Mark Samels as executive producer.

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[via press release from PBS] PBS and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Announce WOODSTOCK, New Documentary from Filmmaker Barak Goodman

Award-winning 'Oklahoma City' Filmmaker Revisits the 1969 Event on 50th Anniversary
BEVERLY HILLS, CA; JULY 30, 2018 - Today at the Television Critics Association press tour, PBS and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE announced the new two-hour documentary Woodstock, scheduled to premiere on PBS in 2019 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the historic three-day concert that defined a generation. The film is directed by Barak Goodman, written by Goodman and Don Kleszy, and produced by Goodman and Jamila Ephron, with Mark Samels as executive producer. Goodman's most recent film, Oklahoma City, also for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, was honored with a prestigious Peabody Award earlier this year.

In August 1969, half a million people from all walks of life journeyed from every corner of the country to a dairy farm in upstate New York for a concert unprecedented in scope and influence. Woodstock examines the tumultuous decade that led to those three historic days - years that saw the nation deeply divided by Vietnam and racial, generational and sexual politics - through the voices of those who were present for the event that would become the defining moment of the counterculture revolution.

"Each season, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE offers insight and understanding into key moments that have defined our country's past," said Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS. "Next summer, PBS will examine Woodstock and the tumultuous decade that led to those three historic days. Timed in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the concert, the film will bring a macro lens into the counterculture revolution and its lasting impact."

"Unlike Michael Wadleigh's classic 1970 documentary, our film turns the cameras around, into the audience," said AMERICAN EXPERIENCE executive producer Mark Samels. "By focusing on individuals - from concert goers to security guards to performers to local residents - Woodstock expands our understanding of the event as not only an unparalleled musical milestone, but a once-in-a-century cultural phenomena that served as a coda to the sixties and a harbinger of the decades to come."

"For three days in August, 1969, the values of 'peace and love,' loudly championed by the counter-culture movement, were actually put to the test in the miserable conditions at Woodstock," said director Barak Goodman. "The 500,000 people who attended the festival proved that they were more than just words. For a surprising number of people, that brief encounter with sacrifice, cooperation and generosity changed their lives. I think Woodstock continues to inspire because the grace demonstrated there was real and enduring."

Barak Goodman is co-founder of Ark Media and a principal producer, director and writer with the company. His films for Ark Media have been nominated for an Academy Award and won multiple Emmys, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Awards, the RFK Journalism Prize, and three times been official selections at the Sundance Film Festival. He was the series director and producer of Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and he directed, produced and wrote Makers, the first comprehensive history of the modern women's movement. His work for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE includes Ruby Ridge; Oklahoma City; Clinton, a four-hour biography of Bill Clinton; My Lai, the story of America's most notorious war crime; and Scottsboro, about the arrest and trials of eight African American teenagers for rape in Depression-era Alabama.

About AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
For 30 years, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has been television's most-watched history series. Hailed as "peerless" (The Wall Street Journal), "the most consistently enriching program on television" (Chicago Tribune), and "a beacon of intelligence and purpose" (Houston Chronicle), the series brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and present. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentaries have been honored with every major broadcast award, including 30 Emmy Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards, and 17 George Foster Peabody Awards; the series received an Academy Award(R) nomination for Best Documentary Feature in 2015 for Last Days in Vietnam. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE also creates original digital content that uses new forms of storytelling to connect our collective past with the present. Visit pbs.org/americanexperience and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to learn more.

Major funding for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, Consumer Cellular and by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Additional funding provided by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is produced for PBS by WGBH Boston.

About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 90 million people through television and 30 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. 

PBS Announces "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War," A New Documentary from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to Air Spring 2019 on PBS

PBS Announces "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War," A New Documentary from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to Air Spring 2019 on PBS
Professor Gates will present the definitive history of one of the least understood chapters in American history.

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[via press release from PBS] PBS Announces "RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR," a New Documentary from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to Air Spring 2019 on PBS

- Four-Hour Film Explores the United States' Emergence from the Civil War and Slavery, and the Thwarted Vision for an Interracial Democracy that Still Impacts the Country More Than 150 Years Later -

BEVERLY HILLS, CA; JULY 30, 2018 - Today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS announced RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (w.t.), a new four-hour documentary executive produced and hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., will premiere next spring on PBS stations nationwide. Professor Gates, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, will present the definitive history of one of the least understood chapters in American history - the transformative years following the American Civil War when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction and revolutionary social change.

RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (w.t.) will take a broad view of the Reconstruction era and its aftermath, beginning with the hopeful moment of war's end and emancipation in 1865 and carrying through to 1915, when the nation was fully entrenched in Jim Crow segregation. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the nation was devastated by death and deconstruction. Members of the U.S. Congress endeavored to reunite North and South while granting citizenship rights to newly freed African Americans, in a plan started by President Abraham Lincoln prior to his assassination. Millions of former slaves and free black people sought out their rightful place as equal citizens under the law. The dream of an interracial democracy was brief, and the broken promises of the Reconstruction era haunt the country to this day. Though tragically short-lived, this bold democratic experiment was, in the words of W. E. B. Du Bois, a "brief moment in the sun" for African Americans, when they could advance and achieve education, exercise their right to vote, and run for and win public office.

"Reconstruction is one of the most important and consequential chapters in American history," said Gates. "It is also among the most overlooked, misunderstood and misrepresented. Our film will tell the real story of Reconstruction, honoring the struggle of the African Americans who fought their way out of slavery and challenged the nation to live up to the founding ideals of democracy, freedom and equality. But we will also tell the tragic story of the sustained and often violent pushback against Reconstruction's determination to secure equal rights for black people, and the subsequent rise of white supremacy leading to the implementation of Jim Crow segregation. More than one hundred and fifty years later, this struggle continues."

The first half of the series will center on the pivotal decade following the Civil War rebellion, charting black progress and highlighting the accomplishments of the many political leaders who emerged to usher their communities into this new era of freedom. The series' second half will look beyond that hopeful decade, when the arc of history bent backwards. It became increasingly clear that many Southern white people were not willing to accept this new social order and that the federal government was not prepared to provide African Americans with consistent or enduring protection of their new rights. While tracing the unraveling of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow segregation in the closing years of the nineteenth century, the film will look at the myriad ways in which black people continued to acquire land, build institutions, and strengthen communities amidst increasing racial violence and repression. Less than thirty years after black men filled state legislatures, one by one, the Southern states began drastically restricting the vote while drawing a stark color line that divided white and black America.

The series will also explore the flowering of African American art, music, literature and culture as tools of resistance in the struggle against Jim Crow racism and the surge of political activism that marked the launch of such iconic civil rights organizations as the National Association of Colored Women, the Niagara Movement, and the NAACP, all at a time when black political power had been blunted and the dream of an interracial democracy seemed impossibly out of reach.

With RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (w.t.), Gates continues a tradition of producing sophisticated documentary films about the African and African-American experience for a broad audience, including the Emmy Award-winning documentary THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS, as well as the documentaries AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES and BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE.

RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (w.t.) will include interviews from leading historians, authors and other experts, including the following individuals:
· Congressman James E. Clayburn, U.S. House of Representatives, South Carolina 6th District;
· Jelani Cobb, a staff writer for The New Yorker and The Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University;
· Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and distinguished professor of law at UCLA School of Law;
· Eric Foner, the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University and author of Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution;
· Tera Hunter, a professor in the History Department and African-American Studies at Princeton University;
· Mitch Landrieu, the former Mayor of New Orleans;
· and Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, the nonprofit legal advocacy group that created the National Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery, AL.

In conjunction with the broadcast, co-producer WETA, the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital, will develop an outreach and public engagement program, providing opportunities - facilitated by public television stations - for communities to participate in conversations about the history of the Reconstruction era and the ongoing implications for American society today. In addition, there will be a robust interactive website on pbs.org and an educational initiative designed to engage teachers and students through multiple platforms.

Professor Gates is also writing two books about the Reconstruction era. Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow, a narrative nonfiction book for ages 9-12, will be written with Tonya Bolden, a Coretta Scott King Honor author, and will be published by Scholastic Focus on January 29, 2019. Professor Gates' adult-market book, STONY THE ROAD: The Fall of Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow, will be published by Penguin Press and will be on sale April 2, 2019.

RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (w.t.) is a production of McGee Media, Inkwell Films and WETA Washington, DC. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Dyllan McGee are executive producers. Dalton Delan and Anne Harrington are executive producers in charge for WETA. Julia Marchesi is the senior producer and director. Rob Rapley, Stacey Holman and Cyndee Readdean are producers/directors. Corporate support is provided by Johnson & Johnson. Major funding is also provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Ford Foundation; The Gilder Foundation; Dr. Georgette Bennett and Dr. Leonard Polonsky, CBE; Lloyd Carney Foundation; and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

About WETA
WETA Washington, DC, is one of the largest producing stations of new content for public television in the United States. WETA productions and co-productions include PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG, LATINO AMERICANS and THE ITALIAN AMERICANS; and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. (Seasons Three, Four and Five), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE and AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO. The WETA studios and administrative offices are located in Arlington, Virginia. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. On social media, visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.

About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and nearly 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS' premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV - including a new 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices.

About McGee Media
McGee Media was founded by award-winning filmmaker Dyllan McGee to produce documentary content that is innovative, compelling, and immersive. Every story is born from a vision of a more fair and equitable world. Whether it is the sweeping history of the African-American experience, or the intimate personal stories of the hundreds of women who made up the feminist movement, McGee Media uses television, film, and digital media in radical new ways to inform and inspire. Recent projects include FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Seasons 1-5 (PBS), AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (PBS), MAKERS (Oath), ONCE & FOR ALL (AOL), FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery), and RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (Discovery).

About Inkwell Films
Inkwell Films was founded by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to produce sophisticated documentary films about the African and African-American experience for a broad audience. The six-part PBS documentary series THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (2013) earned the 2013 Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award. Inkwell Films has co-produced FINDING YOUR ROOTS (Seasons 1-5), AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (2017), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK; AND STILL I RISE (2016), BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA (2011), FACES OF AMERICA (2010), LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (2009), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 (2008), OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006).