In this award-winning national TV series Modern Pioneering, chef, best-selling author and outdoor expert Georgia Pellegrini teaches what she calls ‘manual literacy.’ In each cinematic episode, Georgia highlights unique people who are artisans and craftsmen, preserving the traditions of their cultures. In an age of the information highway, social networks, entertainment junkies, and the blurry line between reality and virtual reality—all sedentary pastimes—Georgia teaches useful ways for people to access what is real and lasting and tangible, to access the DIY values and can-do, improvisational spirit of our grandparents’ generation, to extinguish the manic flicker of the computer screen and learn how to use our hands again.
Modern Pioneering won “Best New Series” at the 12th Annual Taste Awards. Nominated alongside other high profile contenders from HBO, Netflix and other cable and network television, we are honored that the work of our small crew is recognized and thank all of the artisans and small businesses for allowing us to tell their stories.
With its cinematic production value, Modern Pioneering was among the highest voted shows when American Public Television offered it to stations across the country. It continues to have impressive numbers, with U.S. Coverage of 94% reaching 45 states, 172 markets, 16,244 telecasts to-date. It’s market reach is 100% of Top 25 Markets, and 96% of Top 26-50 Markets. In addition to being available on public television stations nationwide, it is also on Create TV, and streaming online on PBS Passport. It is also distributed in select international markets.
Here’s a special deal for anyone who would like another season of Modern Pioneering by this producer: Make a tax-deductible donation of $500 or more, and we will send you a password to watch Episode 7. Enjoy, and thank you!
A public television series by Roberto Mighty
Description
“World’s Greatest Cemeteries” is a new Public TV/PBS series about the most beautiful burial grounds on earth, and the diverse historical figures interred in them. In each half-hour episode, Host/Executive Producer Roberto Mighty takes us to one of these iconic outdoor museums, where we meet inspiring people from the past who helped make our world what it is today.
The series features costumed historical reenactors, breathtaking cinematography, and upbeat interviews with diverse historians, tour guides, landscape architects, horticulturalists and other experts. Season 1 debuted to nationwide acclaim in October, 2021, with rave reviews, press coverage, and viewer recommendations about cemeteries around the world. By May, our broadcast presence was enhanced with online streaming 24/7 on PBS Passport. We are now in production on new episodes for Season 2, slated for broadcast and PBS Passport in February, 2023. Distributed by American Public Television. Presented by Northern California Public Media.
Season 2 Diverse History Makers
Season 2 includes mini biographies on Authors Louisa May Alcott, Herman Melville, and Henry David Thoreau; Salsa Singer Celia Cruz; Boxer and Humanitarian Muhammad Ali; Musicians Irving Berlin, Miles Davis, and Grover Washington, Jr; Food magnates Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz and Colonel Harlan Sanders; Scientist Jokichi Takamine; formerly enslaved farmer John Jack; Civil War Medal of Honor winner David Urbanski; and many others.
Impact
“World’s Greatest Cemeteries” is garnering press coverage across America. Viewers are raving about the series. Please see our website for press clips and viewer quotes. Season 1 metrics exceeded our expectations, including total PBS TV market coverage reaching 66%, of the USA, with the series airing in 36 of the top 50 markets.
Background
Award-winning filmmaker, multimedia artist and TV Executive Producer Roberto Mighty holds an undergraduate degree in history and an MFA in Visual Arts. He is America’s first Artist-in-Residence at a National Historic Landmark Cemetery. With support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services and other funders, Roberto made 29 short films and an online exhibit website about Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A few years later, he went on to create “World’s Greatest Cemeteries” for public television.
Format
Roberto and his team of historians, reenactors, horticulturalists and cinematographers spend days at each location, gathering engaging stories. We augment our location filming with historical reenactments, commentaries by experts and other special features. Special reports highlight the emergence of diverse facilities, including African-American cemeteries. The resulting half-hour episodes combine these elements into engaging shows that draw rave reviews from viewers.
Multi-platform
“World’s Greatest Cemeteries” was designed from the start as a multi-platform project. It is broadcast on Public TV and streamed on PBS Passport. There is a multimedia website, and next year we are developing our first museum exhibit. Viewers are encouraged to visit our website to share comments and recommendations for future shows. For Season 2, the site will feature exclusive video features and bonus content that complements our broadcasts. Plans for a podcast are also in development.
Vision
We believe in an expanded concept of inclusiveness. This program underscores the common humanity of our collective heritage. Season 2 features burials of formerly enslaved African Americans; Jewish cemeteries; monuments to Muslims and Asians; and more. Our vision includes partnering with historians, historical societies and community organizations; the development of teachers’ guides; and creating an internship program to help train diverse, emerging historical filmmakers.
Future Seasons
Viewers have spoken. In emails, social media posts and phone calls, they’ve recommended enough cemeteries to keep “World’s Greatest Cemeteries” busy for several more years.
Sample Viewer Comments (edited for length)
(KERA Dallas, TX) Ran across this on World. LOVE IT!!!
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(WHYY) Hope you get to Vienna’s beautiful Central Cemetery! Beethoven and many other musicians are buried there. – Linda H.
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(KOCE Los Angeles) — Your fabulous series: Stumbled onto your show last one week ago. Set my calendar reminder to watch again this week. Love Greenwood. Been several times. I suggest Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va. Kensico in Valhalla, NY. Woodlawn at the top of Manhattan. You need more visibility. I will spread the word amongst my fellow taphophiles. – Kathleen C.
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(KQED – San Francisco, CA) Hi Mr Mighty! I just watched your cemetery show and must write you ! I am in Oakland and live up the street from Mountainview Cemetery- designed by Olmsted and with much to cover. Enjoying your show! – Kat E.
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(WFSU and WGPB) Thank you for your beautiful presentation of cemeteries with works of man-made art and natural art consisting of gardens as pretty as any grand gardens of the world. Please keep up the work and show us more in future seasons. – Kathy M.
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(NYCTV-LIFE, New York, NY) Just saw your London show. It was GREAT! Have you done Woodlawn in NY. Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, & Duke Ellington rest there. There is also a small cemetery uptown where James Audubon & Clement Clark Moore are buried. – Zoe S.
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(KBDI – Denver, CO) The First Cemetery in Athens Greece is filled with marble statues of it’s dead. Michelangelo quality. One called “Koimomeni” the sleeping woman has been moved to the National Museum to preserve it. It is so real it caused me sleepless nights. – Georgette C.
A public television series and museum exhibition by Roberto Mighty
“getting dot OLDER” is a new, ‘docu-talk’ PBS Passport, Public Television and Museum series, talkin’ ’bout my generation – Baby Boomers!
Background
Award-winning filmmaker, TV Producer and Multimedia Artist Roberto Mighty is a Baby Boomer. With support from Harvard University, The Institute for Museum and Library Services, The National Science Foundation, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and other funders, he has created acclaimed TV, museum, and online projects. Roberto conceived “getting dot OLDER ” after noticing how much he had in common with people around his age, regardless of their backgrounds.
Series History
Initial development of a proposed museum exhibit began in 2014 – by interviewing friends about their experience of aging. The project grew over the next four years. In 2018, development of a proposed TV version began in earnest. Season 1 debuted on public television to nationwide acclaim in January, 2022. By May, our broadcast presence was enhanced with online streaming 24/7 on PBS Passport. We are now in production on thirteen new episodes for Season 2, slated to premiere in April, 2023. Distributed by American Public Television. Presented by Northern California Public Media.
Museum Exhibit
In Fall, 2022, Milton Academy, a distinguished independent school in Boston, premiered Roberto’s six-screen, interactive multimedia presentation “getting dot OLDER: The Exhibit” in their Nesto Gallery. The exhibit is now available for museums, libraries and other large-scale public venues through 2025.
Format
“getting dot OLDER” features engaging, heartfelt, funny and poignant zoom interviews from around the country with our host and “regular people” – diverse Boomers from every walk of life. Excerpts from these interview clips are interspersed with brief commentaries by experts from Harvard University, Howard University, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and other respected institutions.
Season 2 New Features
New features for Season 2 include on-location reports with Boomers pursuing their “Hobbies, Pastimes and Passions”, including animal rescue; civil war reenactment; choir singing; community volunteering; and other activities. Boomer artists and musicians share their post-retirement pivots in our “Visiting Artist” short segments. In addition to tell-all interviews, the episodes also feature lighthearted, Boomer-centric content, including quizzes and calls for viewer input.
Multi-platform
“getting dot OLDER” was designed from the start as a multi-platform project. It is broadcast on TV; streamed on PBS Passport; there is a multimedia website; and starting this fall, we are piloting our first museum exhibit. Viewers are encouraged to visit our website and fill out our unique, 27-question survey; upload their own photos and videos; and comment on episodes. For Season 2, the site will also feature web-only video shorts and bonus content that complements our broadcasts. Plans for a podcast are also in development.
Vision
We believe in an expanded concept of inclusiveness. Our goal is to include every kind of American in this series. Taken together, our content underscores the common humanity of aging. Our vision includes partnering with medical schools, geriatric programs, gerontology researchers, community organizations, developing teachers’ guides, and creating an internship program to help train diverse, emerging filmmakers to focus on older subjects.
Impact
“getting dot OLDER” viewers are raving about the series. Please see our website for press clips and viewer quotes. Season 1 metrics exceeded our expectations, including total PBS TV market coverage reaching 83.93%, of the USA, with the series airing in 45 of the top 50 markets – 247 TV stations coast-to-coast.
Future Seasons
This series highlights 4 interviews per episode. As of this writing, over four hundred people have filled out our lengthy online survey, with more signing up every week. We have more than enough compelling Baby Boomer stories for several additional seasons.
Viewer Reviews for “getting dot OLDER” Season 1
(WNET-TV 13 NYC) “Just caught today’s show. It’s great seeing and hearing your interviewees, how comfortable they are telling their stories/answering your questions.” – Dan Z.
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(Blue Ridge PBS in SW VA and OETA in Oklahoma City) Hi, I love your show and hearing everyone’s stories and answers to the questions! Love and Light to you all – Lori
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(Facebook) The series shows how remarkable “normal” people are. Such a variety of people with diverse backgrounds. Thanks for expanding our sense of community. J. Johnson
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(KRCB Berkeley, CA) Bro. Roberto Mighty YOU ARE FANTASTIC!!! YOU ARE A BLESSING!!! My husband and I often say there isn’t any thing on television that is relevant to us, to our age group, to our racial background (Black African-American) nor to our gender in being over 60 years old. Thank you again, Lee and Derek H.
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(WQED, Pittsburgh, PA) I enjoyed this program , it gave me some positive things to think of and surviving my stroke at 60 and realizing I still have Life and dreams !!! – Carla W.
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(Social Media – Anchorage, Alaska) Joe and I watched the show today. We really liked it. It was so great. We loved the way you put the interviews together. So revealing and relevant. Thanks so much for all you do. – Martha J.H.S.
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Uniting communities through education and entertainment is the mission of independent producer and host Haylie Robinson and heart of travel genre television series Finding Festivals.
For two years communities have not been able to gather and celebrate together. Now, annual events have fully returned and are happily inviting guests. Festivals are so much more than a weekend of fun but an opportunity to deepen understanding, exchange ideas and enjoy festivities together.
The 13-episodic series uses annual events to educate PBS viewers on art, culture, heritage, agriculture, community and history. Through conversation, participation and laughter host Haylie Robinson will share the incredible stories found within each featured festival and its host city.
Haylie, who is known online as Hayliestory, is not your average festival goer. Serving her hometown in an ambassador role as a fair queen birthed the idea for Finding Festivals. Experiencing neighboring towns during annual events sparked a new appreciation for festivals that Haylie felt needed to be shared.
As an independent producer Haylie Robinson is not contracted, commissioned or fiscally supported by any broadcast, cable or streaming network. Finding Festivals is solely made possible by supporters like you.
Four of the thirteen episodes have been filmed and will air on PBS affiliate WGTE November 2022 and January 2023. The final nine episodes are slated to air fall 2023 so long as funding efforts are successful.
Your support will aid in airing the first four episodes and the production, post-production, editing, distribution and marketing of the final nine episodes.
A small-town girl’s dream to unite communities through education and entertainment is made possible by supporters like you. Thank you so very much!
A four (4) part Docuseries, an examination of what passes for Black Television and “black” character-driven TV today. An in depth look at the extent to which it’s just another Minstrel Show, “white” imagery in Blackface.
Provides a history, using examples, beginning with the Minstrel Show form and how that basic format/formula continues despite having “black” producers/creatives working in the medium and despite having so-called Black networks.
The entertainment form began as a “white” one and has hewn to that form ever since. Blacks who are working in the medium today haven’t really innovated nor strayed too far from what the industry deems right and proper for “black” folks in both form and content, in front & behind the camera.
During the Black Arts Movement of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s the mantra of Black Mediamakers was “by, for, and about” Black folks. In what ways today do we have the “by” and the “about,” but not the “for?”
All of these “black” shows or shows with “diverse” casts, with so-called “colorblind” casting that make their way to the Broadcast, Cable, VOD networks has the effect of diminishing, devaluing the African Diasporic culture and history, while elevating the centrality of the Eurocentric POV, which ultimately is the point.
“As a white American..I have a white frame of reference and a white worldview, and I move through the world with a white experience. My experience [contrary to the messages projected in the media and educational systems], is not a universal human experience,” Robin DiAngelo writes in White Fragility.
Historically how has American media, particularly television presented what is ultimately this “white” worldview, even when wrapped in Black packaging, to the detriment of audiences Black and White?
The series pulls back to curtain to see just how the strings are connected and provides historic context to the programming that has made its way into our homes. We examine both the familiar and the hidden, the classic and the mediocre the good, the bad and the cringeworthy. The story unfolds through interviews, archival footage, commentary & critique.
The television entertainment form began as a “white” one and has hewn to that form ever since. Blacks who are working in the medium today haven’t really innovated (in the way that Jackie Robinson changed major league baseball or “black” players reinvented professional basketball, playing above-the-rim) nor strayed too far from what the industry deems “commercial.”
The “elephant-in-the-room” question is why? We will examine this question along the lines of the answer posited in a 2016 article in the New Yorker, titled, “The Oscar Whiteness Machine,” by Richard Brody.
“…[T]he presumption that baseline experience is white experience, and that black life is a niche phenomenon, life with an asterisk. The result is that only narrow and fragmentary views of the lives of African-Americans ever make it to the screen—and I think that this is not an accident. If the stories were told—if the daily lives and inner lives, the fears and fantasies, the historical echoes and the anticipations of black Americans were as copiously unfolded in movies as are those of whites—then lots of white folks would be forced to confront their historical and contemporary shame. They’d no longer be able to claim ignorance of what they’d like not to know—which includes their own complicity in a rigged system.” What are the ways that Black folks themselves participate in that “rigged system?”
FLY BROTHER with Ernest White II is a television travel docu-series about friendship and connection, featuring master storyteller Ernest White II currently airing in the United States on Public Television Stations and Create TV nationwide, and via streaming at PBS.org and Revry globally. In each half-hour episode, Ernest’s real-life friends bring him into their communities, show him what they love about the place, and show the audience that the whole world is our tribe. Season One featured 11 fascinating destinations around the world and won the 52nd Annual Public Media Award for Independent Production, as well as the 42nd Annual Silver People’s Telly Award. Season Two features 10 all-American destinations, including the Adirondacks, Alaska, Detroit, Hawaii, Kansas, Nashville, Natchez, Newark, Puerto Rico, and San Francisco, bringing together cultures and stories from sea to shining sea. Season Two is scheduled to premiere on Public Television Stations across the country in January 2022.
BARE FEET SEASON 6 UPDATE!
Thank you to everyone who has supported Season 5 of Bare Feet so far – we couldn’t have gotten this far without you!
We actually decided to split the original Season 5 into 2 seasons (due to shortage in fundraising). Season 5 (6 episodes) released on PBS in August 2022 with such a beautiful response – THANK YOU for helping make that happen!
We are now in our final stages of fundraising for the remaining 6 episodes that will become Season 6, scheduled to premiere on PBS later this year. This last round of funding will cover post production, editing, distribution fees, marketing, press, and promotion. With final funding under way, as long as we reach our goal by summer of 2023, we are still scheduled for a summer/fall release of Season 6 on PBS nationwide – thank you again for all of your support!
Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy® Award-winning travel series where Host, Executive Producer, & Professional Dancer, Mickela Mallozzi, experiences the world one dance at a time. The series currently airs on PBS stations nationwide in over 106 million households and on the PBS Passport App. Bare Feet Season 6 features six 30-minute episodes of traveling the world within the five boroughs of New York City, connecting with diverse communities through the universal language of dance – from the LGBTQ, disability, indigenous, BIPOC, and older communities, Mickela brings audiences on these emotional dance adventures throughout NYC!
Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy® Award-winning Host and Executive Producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, a travel series highlighting the diversity of dance which airs on public television stations nationwide and on Amazon Prime Video globally. A professional dancer and trained musician, Mickela decided to start a journey around the world, taking her camera with her to follow dance in the lives of everyday people wherever she went. From re-discovering her family’s heritage in Southern Italy to dancing tango on the main stage in Buenos Aires, the series covers Mickela’s adventures as she experiences the world, one dance at a time. She has been featured in The New York Times, O Magazine, The Washington Post, AFAR Media, Travel Channel, Dance Magazine, Forbes, National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, and more, and she has performed on various television shows including Sesame Street.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://travelbarefeet.com
We are all getting swept up in a tidal wave of change called ‘progress.’ But somewhere among all this upgrading, updating, and modernizing, it might be a good idea to take a deep breath and check in on what is being lost.
Life is moving forward so fast, both technologically and culturally. How do we stay attached to the roots that made us? That’s what Reconnecting Roots is all about— taking a moment to reflect on the heritage that is still all around us, and using it to spark conversation across generations.
We are committed to sharing the stories that can illuminate the past and guide us forward.
Reconnecting Roots is a half-hour docu-series about American history and progress. We liken it to a Ken Burns meets Bill Nye the Science Guy take on history, but Reconnecting Roots has a flavor all its own. In each episode, we explore history, culture, and music; and encourage the viewer to ask questions and strive to learn more.
“Space flight is unforgiving. It is inherently dangerous. If you get careless, it will kill you, more so than most other activities on earth, except underwater cave exploration.”
Dr. James Oberg, NASA
Our oceans comprise 4/5th of the planet. 95% of the world’s oceans remain unexplored. In the 1960s Jacques Yves Cousteau pushed human limits to explore the most extreme and remote underwater environments. Television audiences around the globe tuned in to catch a glimpse of the wonders of the world undersea. But since the days of Cousteau, underwater exploration has all but come to a grinding halt. There is no inner space equivalent to authentic outer space exploration.
BUT NOW, all of that has changed. NASA astronaut, aquanaut, environmentalist, mathematician, and fighter pilot Captain Scott Kelly is picking up where Cousteau left off, expanding the very meaning and significance of human exploration in the 21st century.
EXPEDITION EARTH
With this groundbreaking filmed series Expedition Earth, Captain Kelly will be continuing his life’s quest to push human and technological limits while exploring the most extreme and remote underwater environments on planet Earth. Captain Kelly is bringing outer and inner space together, all in the name of the science of exploration. To explore more we have to become better explorers.
The uncharted frontiers of planet Earth — its underwater caves, its oceans, its hidden landscapes — all of these places serve as an extreme environmental research habitat. We need to continue to explore the unexplored, and perfect our process of getting “there,” wherever there may be. Whether it’s the remote Chinese caves of Du’An, the deep reaches of Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea, or the uncharted depths of Lake Baikal in Russia, our team will set its course and get there.
F-Stop Productions is currently seeking to raise $40,000 by November 5th, 2020 to fund the research, writing, and development of the grant application to the National Science Foundation. In our National Science Foundation grant application, we will be requesting $2.5 million to complete our film.
Ferrari: Legend of the Prancing Horse will be the first ever documentary series to chronicle the remarkable story of the world’s most iconic automotive brand. Only 240,000 Ferraris have been made since the company’s founding in 1947 – less than Porsche produces in one year – and yet Ferrari evokes more passion than any other car company. It has defined the category of supercar. From the early life of Enzo Ferrari falling in love with the emerging sport of motor racing in the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy and turning his passion into his profession, first by becoming a successful racing team manager to eventually building his own cars and creating Ferrari, the series will tell the story of the legendary automaker and his company past and present in a way no other film production has to date. By combining iconic moments in the company’s history and its unmatched success in racing along with the development of its world famous road cars, all energized with a global following of devoted Ferraristi – Ferrari fans and owners – the series will go far beyond the re-telling of history or exploration of specific model vehicles and will explore the total scope of what the Ferrari world is all about.
As a multi-episode series, the production will have more time to feature different aspects of Ferrari while at the same time offering to both distributors and audiences a story that is more manageable to watch in today’s time crunched lifestyle. Ferrari: Legend of the Prancing Horse is in its initial phase of development; the filmmakers are currently envisioning a production that will be divided into six one-hour episodes which will dive deep into different aspects of Ferrari.
Ferrari: Legend of the Prancing Horse is being created by filmmaker Jon Dunham, an award winning producer, director and cinematographer who’s films have been seen in cinemas and on television and streaming platforms worldwide. A lifelong Ferrari fan, Jon has a passion for Italy and its culture. He lives in Naples, Italy with his family and is actively developing and producing numerous productions in Italy and abroad.
Assisting the project as an expert consultant is Marc Lindsley. Marc, graduated from the US Air Force Academy, flying F-111 aircraft as well as commanding a Fighter Squadron and an Air Control Wing in conflicts. He also attended and then instructed at the USAF Fighter Weapons School, the equivalent of Navy Top Gun. At the Pentagon as a senior officer on 9/11, he was a leader in the response to terrorism and then retired to lead several aircraft design and production programs in Northrop Grumman Corporation and Leonardo DRS, the Italian Defense company. He and his wife Chicky are deeply involved in many facets of the Ferrari experience. They have proudly owned several Ferraris; both are graduates of the Ferrari driving school and advanced course. Marc will use his various experiences and acquired skills to assist Jon in planning and producing the series.
