Obituary
Arlene Sherman, 61
Arlene Sherman, a former co-executive producer of Sesame Street who worked with Sesame Workshop for more than 30 years, succumbed to lung cancer Oct. 1 [2008]. She was 61.
"It goes without saying how much we will miss Arlene and her creative inspiration," said Gary Knell, president of Sesame Workshop.
She was credited with 14 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.
Sherman produced the claymation shorts about friendship, Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures, in a 2004 co-production with German and British pubcasters; network specials such as Don’t Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and home video releases such as Happy Healthy Monsters.
A graduate of New York University’s School of Film and Television, Sherman joined Sesame Street as production coordinator, and served as coordinating producer for the show from 1987 to 1994, commissioning hundreds of its live‑action and animated segments from diverse filmmakers including William Wegman and Will Vinton. As co-e.p., she spearheaded the “Elmo’s World” segments produced with digital puppetry and real-time animation.
Sherman curated the All Roads Film Festival for National Geographic and several animation and film programs for the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles Film Festival and other venues. She served as a visiting artist at the California Institute of the Arts and recruited and mentored students. She was a member of the Directors Guild of America and was honored in Who’s Who In American Women.
Sherman is survived by her husband, Peter Warren, and brother, Scott Sherman.
A private memorial service was scheduled for family and close friends.
Web page revised Nov. 25, 2008
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