Pipeline 2010

Projects listed in Current’s annual Pipeline survey are down from 162 last year to 128, which may be consistent with the Great Recession, though the survey isn’t complete or formal enough to serve as a leading (or following) economic indicator.

The list below incorporates four titles listed in an addendum published in our Dec. 14, 2009, issue.

Heading for the screen are vessels potentially full of uplift such as Helen Whitney’s four-hour Forgiveness and TeamWorks Media’s The Street Stops Here, which profiles high-school hoops coach Bob Hurley Sr.

You can also expect docs recollecting dark moments in history — Barak Goodman’s My Lai, Stephen Ives’ Road to Memphis about the killing of Martin Luther King Jr., and John Valadez’s Battle After the War about the blowup over a GI’s funeral that sparked the Latino-American civil rights movement in 1948.

There are the usual subject-area clumps, possibly coincidental. About Buddhism: David Grubin looks back 2500 years to the life of The Buddha. Inmates meditate in The Dhamma Brothers. A producer seeks the key to religious tolerance and peace with the Dalai Lama in Not in God’s Name. And about architects of yesteryear: profiles of Daniel Burnham, Benjamin Latrobe and Frederick Law Olmsted in the works).

Included in this year’s list are noninstructional public TV projects one hour or longer in various stages of planning, fundraising and production that will debut nationally in January 2010 and beyond. For space reasons we had to exclude sequels and episodes of ongoing series that are 60 minutes or shorter.

Thanks to producers and their distributors, who supplied most of the information for this list.

Winter ’10

The 39 Steps
Producing organization: BBC. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funder: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Based on the John Buchan novel and set on the eve of World War I, drama starring Rupert Penry-Jones is filled with romance and humor.

America’s Veterans: A Musical Tribute 2010
Producing organization: U.S. Air Force. Presenting station: Maryland Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Major funder: Booz Allen Hamilton. Executive producer: Kenneth Day. Contact: Phillip Guthrie, pguthrie mpt.org, 410-581-4187. ¶ Star-studded musical tribute celebrates significant contributions by men and women serving in every branch of the military.

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Producing organization: Sullivan Entertainment. Presenting station: APT. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 30 (Wide SD). Status: postproduction. Executive producer: Kevin Sullivan. Contact: Tom Davison, Tom_Davison APTonline.org, 607-338-4455. ¶ Inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novels, animated series for children ages 4–9 follows adventures of the irrepressible Anne Shirley. Ready-to-Learn guides available for each episode. Web: www.annetoon.com.

Benjamin Henry Latrobe: America’s First Architect
Producing organizations: A co-production of Kunhardt Productions and WETA. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: NEH, Annenberg Foundation. Executive producers for WETA: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson. Executive producers: Peter Kunhardt, Dyllan McGee. Producer/director: Michael Epstein. Host: Paul Goldberger. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ Chronicles life and work of early American architect Benjamin Latrobe and his lasting impact on his country — including the iconic U.S. Capitol, White House, Baltimore Basilica.

Cheating the Stillness: The World of Julia Peterkin
Producing organization: Lightfoot Films Inc. Presenting station: SCETV. Episodes: 1 x 60 (Wide SD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $312,000. Major funders: John and Callie Rainey Foundation, Barnet Foundation Trust, Phifer-Johnson Foundation, Watson-Brown Foundation Inc., Daniel Mickel Foundation, Humanities Council SC. Executive producer: Elaine Freeman. Producer/director/writer: Gayla Jamison. Narrator: Elisabeth Omilami. Editor: Deanna Nowell. Contact: Gayla Jamison, gjamison mindspring.com. ¶ Chronicles the controversial life of South Carolina author Julia Peterkin, Pulitzer winner for her groundbreaking portrayals of rural African American life in the 1920s.

Dolley Madison
Producing organizations: Twin Cities Public Television and Middlemarch Films. Presented by American Experience. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: NEH, PBS, Land O’Lakes. Executive producer: Catherine Allan. Producer/director: Muffie Meyer. Executive producer for American Experience: Mark Samels. Contact: Catherine Allan, callan tpt.org. ¶ Explores life and career of a celebrated First Lady whose backstage political prowess helped unite the country in a turbulent time.

Emma
Producing organizations: A BBC-WGBH co-production. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 1 x 120, 2 x 60 (Wide SD). Status: postproduction. Major funder: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ New four-hour adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s most popular novels stars Romola Garai as the “handsome, clever and rich” heroine, Sir Michael Gambon as Emma’s doting father and Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley.

The Faces of America
Producing organizations: A production of Kunhardt Productions, Inkwell Films and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Project Executive: Bill Grant. Host: Henry Louis Gates. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Henry Louis Gates broadens his quest to explore American identity beyond the black community. Guests include Meryl Streep, Kristi Yamaguchi, former Queen Noor of Jordan, Mike Nichols, Yo-Yo Ma, Eva Longoria Parker, Mario Batali and Stephen Colbert.

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots
Producing organization: Eleventh Day Entertainment. Presenting station: Maryland Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funder: U.S. Army. Introduction: Colin Powell. Host: Halle Berry. Narrator: Avery Brooks. Producer: Frank Martin. Contact: Phillip Guthrie, pguthrie mpt.org, 410-581-4187. ¶ Honors heroic struggle of African Americans who, in every American battle, risked their lives in defense of our freedom while trying to acquire it for themselves.

The Future of News
Producing organization: Newseum. Presented by APT Presentations. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 10 x 30. Status: postproduction. Major funder: Ford Foundation. Host: Frank Sesno. Vice president, broadcasting: Paul Sparrow. Executive producer: Andrea Shepherd. Series producer: Susan Brooks Kelly. Contact: Judy Barlow, Judy_Barlow APTonline.org. ¶ Sesno and guest journalists discuss emerging forms of news, show viewers how to navigate the maze of digital information sources and examine the role of a free press in a digital democracy. Web: www.newseum.org.

Great Performances at the Met
Producing organizations: A production of the Metropolitan Opera in association with Thirteen and WNET.org. Presented by WNET/Great Performances. Episodes: 9 x 120–180 (HD). Status: preproduction. Series producer: Bill O’Donnell. Executive producer: David Horn. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ The Metropolitan Opera season of productions featuring leading international stars includes Aida, The Audition, Turandot, Les Contes d’Hoffman, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, Simon Boccanegra, Hamlet and Armida.

The Human Spark
Producing organizations: A production of Chedd-Angier Productions for Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Episodes: 3 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Jared Lipworth. Host: Alan Alda. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ To explore one central question—What does it mean to be human?—limited series delves into many diverse fields, including evolution, genetics, primatology, anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics and religion.

Joseph McCarthy
Producing organization: Ark Media for American Experience. Presenting station: WGBH. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Producer/director/writer: Barak Goodman. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Film portrait traces McCarthy’s life, from his childhood in Wisconsin and years in the Senate to his eventual censure, and subsequent descent into alcoholism and death in 1957.

The Music Nomad
Producing organization: Tantra Inc. Presented by APT Presentations. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 9 x 30 (HD). Status: production, postproduction. Major funder: Harman International. Producer: Farook Singh. Host: Jacob Edgar. Director: Kelly Magelky. Production manager: Bryan Smoker. Contact: Judy Barlow, judy_barlow APTonline. ¶ In travel-based music series, music critic and ethnomusicologist Jacob Edgar seeks new talent in thriving local music scenes around the world. Web: www.themusicnomad.com.

The New Recruits
Producing organization: Ironbound Films Inc. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $500,000. Major funder: PBS Social Entrepreneurship Fund. Producers/directors: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger. Contact: Jeremy Newberger, Newberger ironboundfilms.com, 845-424-3700. ¶ Doc profiles aspiring social entrepreneurs who journey to the world’s most volatile and impoverished regions to effect change through business acumen. Web: www.thenewrecruits.com.

New York Wine & Table
Producing organizations: WXXI (Rochester, N.Y.)/New York Wine and Grape Foundation. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 7 x 30 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producer: Todd McCammon. Host: Susan Hunt. Contact: Todd McCammon, tmccammon wxxi.org, 585-258-0241. ¶ Explores New York state wineries, vineyards, farms and other venues to educate viewers about the state’s wine industry and related subjects. Web: wxxi.org/wineandtable.

Out in America (w.t)
Producing organizations: A co-production of KQED & Two Cats Productions. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising. Budget: $470,000. Major funder: PBS Fundraising Programs. Writer/producer/director: Andrew Goldberg. Contact: Sandy Schonning, sschonning kqed.org, 415-553-2391. ¶ GLBT Americans share personal stories of emotional struggles and poignant triumphs. Designed for pledge.

Paris: The Luminous Years
Producing organizations: A co-production of The Eloquent Image and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 120 for PBS, 2 x 60 for international (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Margie Smilow. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Recreates the most intense and significant era of the arts in the 20th century, 1905 to 1930, to examine scene from a new perspective and try to answer the question, “Why Paris?”

Passing Strange
Producing organizations: An Apple Core Holdings and 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks Production in association with Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/Great Performances. Episodes: 1 x 150 (HD). Status: completed. Series producer: Bill O’Donnell. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Tony-winning musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald is hilarious, moving story of young African American man on a journey of escape and self-discovery. Shot for TV by Spike Lee.

Peak Demand (w.t.)
Producing organization: A production of KQED (San Francisco). Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Budget: $4 million. Executive producer: Sue Ellen McCann. Contact: Sandy Schonning, sschonning kqed.org, 415-553-2391. ¶ Multifaceted project on the energy situation immerses viewers in issues about producing and using the stuff.

A Place out of Time—The Bordentown School
Producing organization: Hudson West Productions. Episodes: 1 x 60 (Wide SD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $185,000. Major funders: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, New Jersey Historical Commission. Producer/director: Dave Davidson. Co-producer: Amber Edwards. Narrator: Ruby Dee. Contact: Amber Edwards, amber hudsonwest.org, 203-426-6219. ¶ For 70 years, when racial discrimination and segregation was law and custom, the Bordentown (N.J.) School was an educational utopia that taught values, discipline and life skills to generations of black children. Web: www.hudsonwest.org/films.html.

Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of the Eastman Theatre (w.t.)
Producing organization: WXXI (Rochester, N.Y.). Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Todd McCammon. Contact: Todd McCammon, tmccammon wxxi.org, 585-258-0241. ¶ Since its opening in 1922, the Eastman Theatre has been the preeminent performance space of Rochester, N.Y. Doc shows theatre’s renovation, its history, and live concert performances.

Road to Memphis
Producing organization: An Insignia Films production for WGBH/American Experience. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Producer: Stephen Ives. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Tells story of James Earl Ray, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the seething, turbulent forces in American society which led these two men to their violent and tragic collision in April 1968.

Two-way Street
Producing organization: Bowdon Media. Presenter and distributor: APT. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Major funder: Smith Family Foundation. Host: Bob Bowdon. Producer: Bob Males. Contact: Tom Davison, Tom_Davison APTonline.org, 607-338-4455. ¶ A different kind of current affairs series allows viewers to ask questions of the experts both from the live studio audience and from home via webcams. Web: www.TwoWayStreet.TV.

Words on the Wind
Producing organization: Morning Light Films. Presenting station: WXXI (Rochester, N.Y.). Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26:46. Status: First episode completed, second to be released late 2010. Director: Thom Marini. Producer: Lou Angora. Contact: Lou Angora, langora morninglightfilms.com. ¶ Blends contemporary Native American poetry, film and music with the sounds of the natural world. Includes profiles of Ponca author Dan Jones (Sa Su Weh) and S’Klallam tribal author Duane Niatum on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Web: www.morninglightfilms.com.

Worse than War
Producing organizations: A co-production of JTN Productions and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producer: Jay Sanderson. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Surveys genocide and ethnic cleansing in our time. Author Daniel Joseph Goldenhagen, who changed how the world viewed the Holocaust, now does the same for genocide.

Spring ’10

759: Boy Scouts of Harlem
Producing organization: Be Prepared Pictures LLC. Presenting station: Maryland Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising, postproduction. Producer: Justin Szlasa. Editor: Manahi Taber-Kewene. MPT executive in charge: Steven Schupak. Contact: Phillip Guthrie, pguthrie mpt.org, 410-581-4187. ¶ Illustrates the significance of this urban troop of the Boy Scouts of America, which celebrates its centennial in 2010. Website: www.harlemscouts.com.

The Adventists
Producing organization: Journey Films. Presenting station: SCETV. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $400,000. Filmmaker: Martin Doblmeier. Contact: Dan Juday, dan journeyfilms.com, 703-519-8200. ¶ Members of the Seventh-day Adventists, one of the few American-born religions, live eight to 10 years longer than most other Americans and are the subject of several national studies to understand why. Outreach, special screenings, website planned.

Artist’s Workshop (w.t)
Producing organization: KS Inc. Productions. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 13 x 30 (HD). Status: fundraising, preproduction. Executive producer: Kathie Stull. Host: David Pyle. Contact: Kathie Stull, info ksproductions.org. ¶ Inspires viewers to create their own unique art by learning from the masters. Features a new artist and different media each week, along with tutorials on basics such as color and design.

The Buddha (w.t.)
Producing organization: David Grubin Productions. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: postproduction. Major funders: NEH, PBS, CPB. Executive producer/ producer/ director/ writer: David Grubin. Narrator: Richard Gere. Associate producer: Anna Bowers. Contact: Anna Bowers, abowers grubin.com. ¶ Two and a half millennia ago, a new religion was born in northern India, generated from the ideas of a single man, the Buddha. Doc chronicles a life relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion.

Celtic Tenors: No Boundaries
Producing organization: Maryland Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producers: Kenneth Day, Steven J. Schupak. Contact: Phillip Guthrie, pguthrie mpt.org, 410-581-4187. ¶ The ensemble, one of the most successful classical crossover acts to come from Ireland, performs in a public television music special for March pledge and St. Patrick’s Day. Designed for pledge.

The Dhamma Brothers
Producing organizations: Freedom Behind Bars Productions LLC; Northern Light Productions. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 1 x 60. Status: postproduction. Budget: $770,000. Major funders: Lenfest Foundation, Fledgling Fund, JKW Foundation, Hershey Family Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Boston Foundation, Carolyn Mugar, Richard Crutcher, Rivers Cuomo. Producer/director/writer: Jenny Phillips. Editor/writer: Andrew Kukura. Co-producers: Peter Broderick, Jennifer Owensby. Contact: Jenny Phillips, Jenny dhammabrothers.com. ¶ East meets West in Deep South. Meditation transforms inmates of an Alabama prison. Companion book, radio spots, study guide, educational guide and extensive outreach to corrections officials. Web: www.dhammabrothers.com.

The Diary of Anne Frank
Producing organizations: Darlow Smithson Productions for BBC, in association with France 2. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, meredith_nierman wgbh.org ¶ Unique account of a teenage Jewish girl’s life in hiding during Nazi rule. Companion book, DVD, teacher’s guide.

Diet Free with Zonya Foco, RD
Producing organization: Zonya Health International. Presenting station: WCMU (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.). Distributor: APT. Episodes: 4 x 20. Status: postproduction. Budget: $48,000. Major funder: Eden Foods. Host: Zonya Foco. Director: Scott Foco. Producer: Deb Wise. Contact: Scott Foco, scott zonya.com, 517-467-6995. ¶ Zonya Foco, a registered dietician, presents eight healthy core habits that define a healthy lifestyle. Designed for pledge. Website: www.zonya.com.

The Doors: When You’re Strange
Producing organizations: Produced by Wolf Films and Strange Pictures in association with Rhino Entertainment. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: completed. Executive producer: Susan Lacy, Dick Wolf. Narrator: Johnny Depp. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ With newly discovered original footage shot between 1966 and 1971, the portrait of a band disentangles truth and myth about the artists and their still-popular music.

Food, Inc.
Producing organizations: Produced by Participant Media, River Road Entertainment and Magnolia Pictures. Presented by P.O.V. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD widescreen). Status: completed. Major funder: Perfect Meal LLC. Director/producer: Robert Kenner. Producer: Elise Pearlstein. Co-producers: Eric Schlosser, Richard Pearce, Melissa Robledo. Executive producers: William Pohlad, Jeff Skoll, Robin Schorr, Diane Weyermann. Executive producer for P.O.V.: Simon Kilmurry. Contact: Chris White, cwhite pov.org. ¶ Film looks at America’s food industry, revealing surprising facts about what we eat, how it’s produced, what we’ve become as a nation and where we may go from here.

Forgiveness: A Time to Love,  A Time to Hate (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of WETA and Helen Whitney Productions. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: Fetzer Institute, Templeton Foundation, ClearView Foundation. Executive producers: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson. Producer: Paul Dietrich. Producer/director: Helen Whitney. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ Explores forgiveness in even the most tragic circumstances by following stories of individuals facing agonizing choices.

Framed
Producing organization: A BBC-WGBH co-production. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Trevor Eve and Eve Myles star in new family drama based on Frank Cottrell Boyce’s bestselling children’s novel about the British National Gallery’s entire collection being moved to Wales to avoid flood damage.

Ground War
Producing organizations: A ITV Studios production for Thirteen in association with ITV Global Entertainment, National Geographic Channels International and WNET.org. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Jared Lipworth. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Tells stories behind the key technological advances and strategic breakthroughs that have driven — and been driven by — thousands of years of ground warfare. Program titles: “Warrior,” “Battlefield Mobility,” “Firepower,” “Command and Control.”

Hamlet from the Royal Shakespeare Company
Producing organizations: An Illuminations/Royal Shakespeare Company Production for the BBC in association with Thirteen for WNET.org and NHK. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 210 (HD). Status: completed. Series producer: Bill O’Donnell. Executive producer: David Horn. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Shakespeare’s tortured Danish prince receives contemporary spin in critically acclaimed new production from the Royal Shakespeare Company starring David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

History of the Horse with Dennis Brouse
Producing organization: Cowboy Promotions Inc. Distributor: Executive Program Service. Episodes: 6 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: Featherlite Trailers, Kent, American Cowboy, Farnam, Living the Country Life magazine. Executive producer/host: Dennis Brouse. Contact: Dennis Brouse, info saddleupwithdennisbrouse.com, 800-285-1070. ¶ Explores the fascinating role horses have played in our world since the first trod the Earth more than 50 million years ago. Episodes cover aspects and roles of horses:: The Breeds, The Companion, The Warrior, The Entertainer, The Worker, The Athlete. Web: www.HistoryOfTheHorse.com.

Into the Deep: Whaling & America
Producing organization: Steeplechase Films for WGBH/American Experience. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB, NEH, Rosalind P. Walter. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Tells the riveting story of American whaling, from its New England origins through its deep-ocean golden age to the industry’s spectacular demise.

Lilly’s Light
Producing organization: Lilly’s Light Productions LLC. Presenting station: SCETV. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $600,000. Executive producers: Sherry Hursey, Art Klein. Director: Daniel Carrey. Contact: Sherry Hursey, lilly’slightproductions yahoo.com, 818-578-3080. ¶ Live action family musical edutainment adventure features loving foster mom, Sherry Hursey, living with her kids in enchanted lighthouse. Outreach program promotes fostering and adoption. Website: www.lillyslight.com.

Martin Yan’s Hidden China
Producing organizations: Yan Can Cook in association with A La Carte Communications. Episodes: 13 x 30 (Wide SD). Status: fundraising. Executive Producer: Nat Katzman. Producer: Stephanie Jan. Director: Mark Tang. Contact: Hope Reed, hopehreed gmail.com, 520-622-1393. ¶ Designed for cooking and/or travel blocks, famed chef Martin Yan journeys deep into western China to unveil culture, traditions and cuisine of ethnic minority peoples of this little-known part of the world.

Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself
Producing organizations: Spothouse Productions in association with Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Portrait shows Haggard in top physical shape, full of creative juices, touring relentlessly, hitting new artistic highs—and transforming before our eyes from Nixon poster child to outspoken critic of Bush-era America.

Minor League
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Presenting station: WXXI (Rochester, N.Y.). Episodes: 13 x 30 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funder: Intercontinental Hotels Group. Executive producer: John Campbell. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Narrator: Erin Moriarty. Contact: John Campbell, Campbell1025 aol.com, 315-271-4935. ¶ Campbell takes viewers into the little-known world of minor-league baseball, following the Rochester Red Wings, triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, through the 2009 season. Companion DVD with 30-plus hours of bonus footage. Web: www.minorleagueseries.com.

Moment of Impact
Producing organizations: A production of Thirteen and National Geographic Television in association with WNET.org. Presented by WNET/Nature. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: postproduction. Executive producer for Nature: Fred Kaufman. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ When animals of astounding ability connect with each other and the world around them, there is a “moment of impact.” Nature special uses latest technologies and computer graphics to reveal the bioengineering of “how animals work.”

Not in God’s Name: In Search of Tolerance with the Dalai Lama
Producing organizations: Paradise Filmworks International and SCETV. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 1 x 58. Status: postproduction. Director/executive producer/narrator: Paula Fouce. Producers: Tim Kettle, William Haugse. Executive producer: Polly Kosko. Writers: Shirin Bazleh, William Haugse. Contact: Susi Engl, info ParadiseFilmworks.com, 702-449-4453. ¶ “Why do people kill in God’s name?” Religion can engender both peace and conflict. Trapped in a religious riot, a director searches for answers, from the Dalai Lama to madrassas. Companion book, designed for pledge. Web: www.NotinGodsName.com.

Phil Lempert’s Food Sense
Producing organization: Maryland Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Major funder: Monsanto. Host: Phil Lempert. Producer: Philip Marshall. Contact: Phillip Guthrie, Maryland Public Television, pguthrie mpt.org, 410-581-4187. ¶ Follows food’s route from its source to your table, showing how consumers’ choices affect their health and nutrition as well as foods’ sustainability, taste and value.

A Sense of Wonder
Producing organization: Sense of Wonder Productions LLC. Presenting station: Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $250,000. Major funders: Vervane Foundation, Baltimore Community Foundation, Mattina R. Proctor Foundation, Sacharuna Foundation, GBL Charitable Foundation. Introduction: Bill Moyers. Director of photography: Haskell Wexler. Host/writer/executive producer: Kaiulani Lee. Director: Christopher Monger. Producer: Karen Montgomery. Contact: Ian Cheney, ian asenseofwonderfilm.com. ¶ Intimate portrait of pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson during the final year of her life as she battles cancer and the chemical industry in the wake of publishing Silent Spring. With educational interactive website, curriculum guide, screenings. Available for broadcast during National Women’s History Month (March). Web: www.asenseofwonderfilm.com.

Sharpe
Producing organizations: A Celtic Films and Picture Place production. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 2 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org ¶ Sean Bean returns as British soldier-hero Richard Sharpe, a rough diamond whose bravery has propelled him through the army’s ranks.

Small Island
Producing organizations: A Ruby Television production in association with AL Films for BBC, co-produced with WGBH. Presented by WGBH/Masterpiece Classic. Episodes: 2 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: PBS. Executive producer: Rebecca Eaton. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org ¶ Adaptation of Andrea Levy’s award-winning 2004 novel stars Naomie Harrisas Hortense, an ambitious young Jamaican thrust into gritty 1940s London.

The Stonewall Uprising
Producing organization: Q-Ball Productions for WGBH/American Experience. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Producers Kate Davis, David Heilbroner. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Eyewitness accounts and rare archival material bring to life the 1969 riots at New York City’s Stonewall Inn, a pivotal event in the modern gay civil rights movement.

A Surprise in Texas: The 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Producing organization: Peter Rosen Productions Inc. Presenting station: KERA (Dallas-Fort Worth). Episodes: 1 x 90 (wide SD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $600,000. Major funders: ExxonMobil, City of Fort Worth, XTO Energy, Burnett Foundation, Alcon, Texas Commission on the Arts. Producer/director: Peter Rosen. Executive producer: Richard Rodzinski. Contacts: Joe Bellotti, jbellotti kera.org, or Alann B. Sampson,  alanns cliburn.org. ¶  This year’s co-winner is Nobuyuki Tsujii, a 20-year-old pianist from Tokyo, who has been blind since birth.

The Street Stops Here
Producing organization: TeamWorks Media. Presenting station: WTTW (Chicago). Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $850,000. Executive producers: Krista Saponara, Jay Sharman, Mike Sear, Kevin Krebs. Director: Kevin Shaw. Associate producer: Emily Shanoff. Editor: Michael Sciallis. Contact: Marie Considine, mconsidine wttw.com. ¶ Inspirational intro to a top high school basketball coach, Bob Hurley Sr., and the young athletes fighting their way out of the poverty with his help. Web: www.thestreetstopsheremovie.com.

Voices of a Never Ending Dawn
Producing organization: Pamela Peak Productions. Presenting station: Detroit Public Television. Distributor: APT or NETA. Episodes: 1 x 1:56:46 or 2 x 56:46. Status: completed. Budget: $180,000. Major funders: SGM Larry S. Chase, White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery, American Legion Department of Michigan, VFW Department of Michigan. Executive producer: Larry S. Chase. Writer/ producer/director: Pamela Peak. Contact: Pamela Peak, Pamela PamelaPeakProductions.com, 949-305-5496. ¶ After World War I, these U.S. soldiers known as the Polar Bears — stripped of everything American and secretly shipped to northern Russia—clashed with the Soviet Union’s earliest Communists in -60 degree temperatures, under the bewildering midnight sun. Teachers’ video guide, designed for pledge. Web: www.PolarBearDocumentary.com.

Summer ’10

Baseball: The Tenth Inning (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of Florentine Films and WETA. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funders: Bank of America, CPB, PBS. Executive-in-charge for WETA: Dalton Delan. Project director: David S. Thompson. Producers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, David McMahon. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ Burns and his producing partners pick up the thread of their landmark series. Web: www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball.

Deep Down
Producing organizations: Sally Rubin, ITVS, and Kentucky Educational Television. Episodes: 1 x 56:40 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $205,000. Major funder: ITVS. Co-directors: Sally Rubin, Jen Gilomen. Executive producer: David Sutherland. Co-executive producer: Nancy Golden. Contact: Sally Rubin, sally deepdownfilm.org, 415-216-6147. ¶ Deep in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, Beverly May and Terry Ratliff find themselves at the center of a contentious community battle over a proposed mountaintop-removal coal mine. Project includes a virtual-reality mountaintop mine on SecondLife as well as an audio CD and a community screening campaign. Web: www.deepdownfilm.org.

Ed Sullivan (w.t.)
Producing organization: A production of SOFA Entertainment. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Between 1948 and 1971, Sullivan’s “really big shew” was the original Sunday-night appointment television, presenting Broadway musicals, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and African-American performers.

Getting Back to Abnormal
Producing organization: Center for New American Media. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $400,000. Executive producers: Louis Alvarez, Andrew Kolker, Paul Stekler, Peter Odabashian. Contact: Louis Alvarez, nola cnam.com, 212-630-9971. ¶ What does the future hold for New Orleans? Wide-ranging look at the city in recovery grapples with issues of race, class, urban planning and the baroque complexities of Louisiana culture. Online games will let users struggle with the same issues.

Hidden New York
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Episodes: 13 x 30 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer/host: John Campbell. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Contact: John Campbell, campbell1025 aol.com, 315-271-4935. ¶ Features the state’s unique destinations and eateries, from Niagara Falls to the City. Companion DVD includes 10-plus hours of bonus footage.

Two Tickets to Paradise—The Musical
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Episodes: 1 x 60. Status: preproduction. Executive producers: John Campbell, Eddie Money. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Contact: John Campbell Media Group, campbell1025 aol.com, 315-271-4935. ¶ Original musical play based on the life of Eddie Money, who rebels against his working-class family to become an ’80s rock star. Includes eight new and old songs. Companion DVD, CD and clothing. Designed for pledge. Money will be available for station and special-event appearances.

Fall ’10

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange
Producing organization: National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Distributor: APT. Episodes: 6 x 60 (HD). Status: preproduction. Contact: Leslie Fields-Cruz, leslie nbpc.tv, 212-234-8200, ext. 222. ¶ Six independently produced docs about life and art in contemporary Africa will take American audiences on a tour of a continent unlike any they’ve ever seen.

Battle After the War (w.t.)
Producing organizations: Co-production of John J. Valadez, WGBH, and the Independent Television Service, Inc. Presenting station: WGBH. Distributor: ITVS. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: ITVS, PBS, Houston Endowment. Executive producer: Judith Vecchione. Producer/director/writer: John Valadez. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ In 1948, Pvt. Felix Longoria’s funeral divided his town and the nation, pushed Lyndon Johnson into the limelight and launched the Mexican-American civil rights movement. Fifty years later, the story still pits neighbor against neighbor.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (w.t.)
Producing organizations: CITH Productions Inc./Red Hat Animation, Ltd. Presenting station: KQED (San Francisco). Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 40 x 30 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: Portfolio Entertainment/ Collingwood O’Hare, PBS Kids, Treehouse TV, Canadian Television Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, Government of Canada. Voice of the Cat: Martin Short. Director/co-producer: Tony Collingwood. Producers: Lisa Olfman, Joy Rosen. Contact: Suzanne Romaine, sromaine kqed.org, 415-553-2366. ¶ The Cat in The Hat transports best friends Sally and Nick on a magical journey of scientific discovery around the globe.

Chatauqua (w.t.)
Producing organizations: WNED-TV (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Driftwood Productions. Presenting station: WNED. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising, postproduction. Budget: $479,180. Major funders: Oishei Foundation, Gary Brost, Tom Hyde, Cutco, Erie Insurance. Producer: John Grant. Contact: John Grant, jagrant aol.com, 814-234-5210. ¶ Tells the story of the Chautauqua Institution — a sometimes forgotten, frequently misunderstood one-of-a-kind place, with its rich historical background.

Glenn Gould: The Inner Voice
Producing organization: A Production of White Pine Pictures. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ A profound musical poet with a unique understanding of Baroque masters, Gould left public performance at age 32, after a decade of international stardom, choosing to focus exclusively on recordings and becoming increasingly reclusive.

John Lennon: The New York Years
Producing organization: A production of Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: development. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ The music of Lennon, one of the most powerful cultural influences of the 20th century, still speaks to millions of people. In December 2010—30 years after his death—we celebrate his life and the music from his New York decade.

Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City
Producing organization: The Archimedia Workshop. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $700,000. Major funder: NEH. Producer/director: Judith Paine McBrien. Script consultant: Geoffrey Ward. Contact: Judith Paine McBrien, judith thearchimediaworkshop.org. ¶ Before the modern profession of urban planning existed, architect/planner Daniel Hudson Burnham had a compelling vision of what a civilized American city could look like, which shaped towns and cities across America. Web: www.danielburnhamfilm.com.

Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook
Producing organization: Hudson West Productions. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 3 x 60 (HD). Status: production, postproduction. Budget: $825,000. Major funders: Feinstein Foundation for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook, Leonore and Ira Gershwin Charitable Trust, Tisch Family Foundation, Ted Snowdon Foundation. Host: Michael Feinstein. Series producer/director: Amber Edwards. Director of photography/co-producer: Dave Davidson. Executive producer: Ken Bloom. Contact: Amber Edwards, amber hudsonwest.org, 203-426-6219. ¶ Michael Feinstein—performer, historian, collector and showman—leads series of doc-style musical expeditions through 20th-century American popular song. Web: www.michaelfeinsteinsamericansongbook.org.

The New Yorker
Producing organization: A production of Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Celebrates the 85th anniversary of this venerable bastion of literary, critical, political, satiric writing that began as small humor magazine and grew into an unparalleled force in shaping and reflecting American arts and culture.

Pearl Harbor: Tears in the Pacific
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: John Campbell. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Contact: John Campbell, campbell1025 aol.com, 315-271-4935. ¶ Interviews plus never-before-seen footage and stills of the men and women of the Pearl Harbor Survivors of Central New York/Chapter 7 tell story of survival and camaraderie. Designed for pledge; companion DVD.

Simply Pasta with Giuliano Hazan
Producing organization: A La Carte Communications. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: fundraising. Executive producers: Geoff Drummond, Nat Katzman. Contact: Hope Reed, hopehreed gmail.com, 520-622-1393. ¶ Teacher and author (30-minute Pasta) Giuliano Hazan will share simple, economical and healthy pasta dishes from his cooking school in Italy.

Stuff: The Materials That Shape Our World (w.t.)
Producing organizations: WGBH/Nova/Powderhouse Productions. Presenting station: WGBH. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Major funder: National Science Foundation. Senior executive producer: Paula S. Apsell. Host: David Pogue. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Explores the most exciting materials-science breakthroughs of today, from carbon nanotubes to self-repairing materials, and offers a vision of what the future holds. Extensive outreach planned in partnership with Materials Research Society.

Women, War and Peace
Producing organizations: A co-production of Thirteen and Fork Films in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 5 x 60 (HD). Status: development. Executive producer: Pam Hogan. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Women suffer an unprecedented level of casualties in today’s wars, the program reports, and are emerging as leaders in brokering lasting peace and forging international laws to govern conflicts.

Sometime in ’10

Art Through Time: A Global View
Producing organizations: A production of Thirteen for Annenberg Media in association with WNET.org. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 13 x 30 (HD). Status: completed. Executive producers: Sandra Sheppard, Jill Peters. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Takes a thematic rather than chronological approach to art history for adults. Explores connections in art and illuminates the complexity and beauty of works produced around the world and in different periods.

Designing Healthy Cities: Balancing Public Space with Public Health
Producing organization: The Media & Policy Center. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 2 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Budget: $1 million. Major funders: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Kaiser Foundation. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Producers: Dale Bell, Harry Willand. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Examines how the buildings and public spaces that surround us affect our health and well-being. With website and national outreach campaign.

For the Generations: A Native American Music Special
Producing organizations: Oregon Public Broadcasting and Painted Sky. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 1 x 60 (Wide SD). Status: production. Budget: $300,000. Major funder: Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Executive producer for OPB: Jeff Douglas. Producers: Sean Hutchinson, Mary Hager. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Native American singers and dancers interpret and celebrate their stories of struggle, triumph, honor and hope.

Winter ’11

America’s State Fairs
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Episodes: 13 x 60 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer/host: John Campbell. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Contact: John Campbell, campbell1025
aol.com, 315-271-4935. ¶ State fairs, originally held to celebrate the harvest, have grown into enormously popular annual events. Series highlights 13 state fairs.

Black Americas
Producing organizations: A production of Wall to Wall Television, Inkwell Films, and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: preproduction. Project executive: Bill Grant. Host: Henry Louis Gates. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Gates looks at how Africa and Europe combined to create the vibrant cultures of Latin and South America—whose history is tied more closely to Africa’s than most North Americans know.

Designing Life: Stories from the Bioethical Frontier (w.t.)
Producing organizations: WGBH and The Hastings Center. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Major funder: National Institutes of Health. Executive producer: Laurie Donnelly. Series producer: Jon Palfreman. President, Hastings Center: Tom Murray. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Tells gripping stories of people facing major bioethical dilemmas of our time—from birth, youth, adulthood and death. Outreach is planned through American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American Nurses Association.

Design Squad: Nate’s Roadtrip (w.t.)
Producing organization: WGBH. Distributor: PBS Plus. Episodes: 10 x 30 (HD). Status: preproduction. Major funders: NSF, NASA. Senior executive producer: Kate Taylor. Executive producer: Marisa Wolsky. Senior producer/director: Dorothy Dickie. Contact: Marisa Wolsky, marisa_wolsky wgbh.org. ¶ Series of TV shows and video blogs puts Nate, host of the Peabody Award-winning PBS reality competition series Design Squad, in the inventor’s seat.

Joe Papp in Five Acts
Producing organizations: A co-production of Thirteen and the Papp Project for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ The late Joe Papp, presiding spirit of New York’s Public Theater and Free Shakespeare Festival, truly believed that everyone needs theater and made sure everyone got it—with classics and innovations for every taste.

The Life and Times of Al Capp
Producing organization: A production of LM Media GMbH. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: postproduction. Executive producers: Susan Lacy, Stanley Buchtal. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Al Capp, creator of the comic strip Li’l Abner, lampooned American culture for 40 years through the absurd adventures of the Yokums of Dogpatch. His work is seen through the eyes of his granddaughter, filmmaker Caitlin Manning.

Pioneers of Television, Season Two
Producing organization:  Boettcher/Trinklein Television. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: Production. Producers: Steve Boettcher, Mike Trinklein. Contact: Steve Boettcher, steve btmedia.us, 262-238-4336. ¶  Offers fresh take on TV’s founding celebrities by melding compelling interviews of nearly 100 stars from TV’s formative years with archival clips. This season features Bill Cosby, James Garner, Stan Freberg, Leonard Nimoy, Fess Parker and Adam West, among others.

Spring ’11

America in Prime Time (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A production of The Documentary Group and WETA in association with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising. Major funder: CPB Program Challenge Fund. Executive producer for The Documentary Group: Tom Yellin. Executive producers for WETA: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson. Producer/director: Richard Robbins. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.org. ¶ Chronicles television’s history from inception to today’s multichannel universe.

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man
Producing organizations: A co-production of Thirteen, Kartemquin Films and Ravinia for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ With consummate artistry and musicality, Jones, a socially conscious dancer-choreographer, tackled complex subjects—race, sexuality, terminal illness — throughout his 30-year career. Now he creates — on camera, over the course of a year — a new piece about Abraham Lincoln.

Dustin Hoffman: Accidental Movie Star
Producing organizations: A production of Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Short, big nose, bad complexion: No formula for a Hollywood leading man. But with sheer will and boundless talent, Hoffman turned these “disabilities” into a very successful screen-acting career.

Jacques Pepin’s Food, Fast . . . ! (w.t.)
Producing organization: A production of KQED (San Francisco). Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 30 (HD). Status: fundraising. Budget: $900,000. Major funder: Spectrum Organics. Series producer: Tina Salter. Contact: Sandy Schonning, sschonning kqed.org. ¶ Master chef Jacques Pepin charms his audience, using perfect technique to turn fresh food into delicious meals . . . fast.

John Muir in the New World
Producing organizations: A production of Thirteen and Global Village Media for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: production. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Scottish-born founder of the Sierra Club, Muir’s name is synonymous with the preservation of the American wilderness. His legacy influenced modern environmentalism and introduced generations to the majesty of our landscape.

My Lai
Producing organization: An Ark Media film for WGBH/American Experience. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Producer: Barak Goodman. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Recounts one of the Vietnam War’s darkest chapters, based on eyewitness accounts of Vietnamese survivors and the men of the Charlie Company 11th Infantry Brigade, plus recently discovered audio recordings.

Patriots in the Sky
Producing organization: Campbell Media Group. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: John Campbell. Co-producer: Dean “Wilbur” Wright. Chief videographer/editor: John Walsh. Contact: John Campbell, campbell1025 aol.com. ¶ Behind-the-scenes look at the Patriots volunteer jet demonstration team, the only civilian-owned jet team in America. Can be available for pledge, with companion DVD and possible pilot appearances.

Summer ’11

Johnny Carson (w.t.)
Producing organization: A Production of Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Johnny Carson was seen by more people than anyone on American television—the master of monologues, one-liners and interviews. His executor finally allows an exclusive, unrestricted look at this very private public figure.

Robert E. Lee
Producing organizations: A HiddenHill Productions film for American Experience. Presented by WGBH/American Experience. Presenting station: WGBH. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: R&D. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB, NEA. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Series producer: Sharon Grimberg. Producer: Mark Zwonitzer. Contact: Meredith Nierman, meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Examines life of the preeminent general whose successes made him the scourge of the Union and hero of the Confederacy.

Superheroes!
Producing organization: Ghost Light Films. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 3 x TBD. Status: fundraising. Major funder: PBS. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Series producer: Michael Kantor. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Explores how comic books, once sold for a dime at corner drugstores, exploded into an American mythology and multibillion-dollar industry.

Fall ’11

The American Revolution
Producing organization: Lichtenstein Creative Media Inc. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 83 (HD). Status: fundraising. Budget: $800,000. Producer: Bill Lichtenstein. Director of photography: Boyd Estus. Associate producers: David Bieber, Jay Rooney. Contact: Bill Lichtenstein, Bill LCMedia.com, 617-682-3708. ¶ Chronicles WBCN-FM in Boston, one of the original “progressive rock” radio stations, between 1968 and  1974. Examines its role in covering and promoting the period’s profound cultural, social, musical and political changes. Designed for pledge; facilitation guide for education and community outreach. Web: www.WBCNthefilm.com.

Bears of the Last Frontier (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A Production of Pontecorvo Productions and Thirteen in association with National Geographic Channels International and WNET.org. Presented by WNET/Nature. Episodes: 2 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Executive Producer for WNET/Nature: Fred Kaufman. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Adventurer and bear biologist Chris Morgan leads an odyssey deep into the wilds of Alaska. For more than a year, Morgan lives among these creatures to present an intimate portrait of North America’s bears.

Becoming Helen Keller
Producing organizations: A co-production of Thirteen, WETA and Straight Ahead Pictures for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Presenting station: WNET. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Keller’s imagemay be frozen in the public memory as shown in The Miracle Worker, when the 7-year-old girl signed the word “w-a-t-e-r” into Anne Sullivan’s hand. But she lived into her 80s, teaching all over the world.

Diabetes in America (w.t.)
Producing organization: WGBH. Episodes: 1 x 90. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: Judith Vecchione. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ More people suffer from diabetes than heart disease; one-third of young Americans are at risk for the disease—but diabetes is also preventable and treatable. Website plus teachers’ domain assets; major outreach campaign planned as partnership between PTV stations and local health centers.

Fabric of the Cosmos
Producing organization: WGBH/Nova. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: National Science Foundation, Sloan, CPB/PBS Challenge Fund, Arte, National Geographic, Department of Energy. Senior Executive producer: Paula S. Apsell. Host: Brian Greene. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ In sequel to The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene embarks on another tour of the universe, piecing together the most complete picture yet of space and time.

Facing Cancer (w.t.)
Producing organization: WNED-TV (Buffalo). Episodes: 1 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $543,000. Executive producer: John Grant. Contact: John Grant, jagrant aol.com, 814-234-5210. ¶ Gives the audience a behind-the-scenes view of the work underway at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Cancer Institution, profiling those on the frontline of the fight against cancer, including physicians and researchers and the patients and families they work with.

The Jewish Partisans (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A production of Daylight Films, in association with WETA. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producers for WETA: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson. Producer: Julia Mintz. Producer/writer/director: Amy Stechler. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ With the help of survivors now in the 80s, tells a virtually unknown story of the Eastern European Jews who escaped into forests during World War II and fought back against the Nazis.

Loop (w.t.)
Producing organization: WGBH. Episodes: 20 x 30 (HD). Status: fundraising. Executive producers: Kate Taylor, Marisa Wolsky. Head writer: Kathy Waugh. Contact: Blyth Lord, Blyth_Lord wgbh.org. ¶ Animated TV series following comedic adventures of five kids trapped in video game is centerpiece of multiplatform project designed to help children ages 6-9 see world in new way and deepen their understanding of environmental sustainability. Robust website and outreach with national partners focuses on getting kids and families to explore nature.

The Magic 5&10 (w.t.)
Producing organization: WGBH. Episodes: 30 x 30 (HD). Status: fundraising. Major funders: NSF, CPB, PBS. Senior executive producer: Carol Greenwald. Executive producer: Dorothea Gillim. Vice president, children’s programming: Brigid Sullivan. Project director: Karen Barss. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ A multiplatform project targeting kids 3–6, parents and caregivers is designed to help children succeed in math. Series builds on kids’ innate ability in math with animated, story-based format.

Mel Brooks: If You Got It, Flaunt It
Producing organization: A production of Thirteen for WNET.org. Presented by WNET/American Masters. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ In 60 years Brooks grew from Catskill comic to comedy giant in television, movies and Broadway. Professionally brash, personally private, he tells his story for the first time.

Prohibition (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of Florentine Films and WETA. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: scripting, production. Producers/directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick. Executive-in-charge for WETA: Dalton Delan. Project director: David S. Thompson. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ The producers of The War examine the years of Prohibition—perhaps America’s biggest social experiment.

The War of 1812
Producing organizations: WNED-TV (Buffalo) and Florentine Films/Hott Productions, in association with WETA. Presenting stations: WNED-TV and WETA. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 120 (HD). Status: production. Budget: $2.1 million. Major funders: NEH, Wilson Foundation, Warren Goldring, Phil Lind, CPB, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Annenberg Foundation. Executive producer: John Grant. Producer: Lawrence Hott. Writer: Ken Chowder. Contact: John Grant, jagrant aol.com, 814-234-5210. ¶ Explores this defining conflict from divergent points of view, brings it to life with help from leading historians, battle re-enactors and historic images.

William Still: Father of  the Underground Railroad (w.t.)
Producing organizations: WNED-TV (Buffalo), 90th Parallel Productions. Presenting station: WNED-TV. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising. Executive producer: John Grant. Producer for 90th Parallel Productions: Gordon Henderson. Contact: John Grant, jagrant aol.com, 814-234-5210.
¶ Chronicles life of William Still, one of the most significant figures in the abolition of slavery. When he died, in 1902, the New York Times called him “The Father of the Underground Railroad.”

Sometime in ’11

Mystery of Matter
Producing organization: Moreno/Lyons Productions. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Status: R&D. Budget: $75,000 for development. Major funder: NSF. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Producer: Stephen Lyons. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Explores the chemical basis of life.

Panama Canal
Producing organization: An Insignia Films production for WGBH/American Experience. Episodes: 1 x 90 (HD). Status: R&D. Major funders: Liberty Mutual, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PBS, CPB, NEA. Executive producer: Mark Samels. Producer: Stephen Ives. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Tells epic story of one of the great engineering triumphs of all time—and one of the most expensive in terms of both money and lives.

Survival
Producing organization: Rockhopper TV. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 3 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Major funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Producer: Richard Wilson. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Explores efforts to address serious public health issues in Africa.

Winter ’12

I’ve Known Rivers: A History of  the African American People
Producing organizations: A production of Kunhardt Productions, Inkwell Films, and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 8 x 60 (HD). Status: development. Project executive: William Grant. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Designed to be the most ambitious and exciting treatment of the black experience, series charts internal complexity—the tension and diversity—that has been a fundamental part of African American life for more than three centuries.

Jam Hotel
Producing organization: WGBH. Episodes: 20 x 30 (HD). Status: development. Senior executive producer: Kate Taylor. Executive producer: Marisa Wolsky. Head writer: Kathy Waugh. Contact: Blyth Lord, Blyth_Lord wgbh.org. ¶ Part The Muppets and part Pee-wee’s Playhouse—with a dash of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood—a new series for preschoolers lays the foundation for a lifelong enjoyment of music.

Kind-Hearted Woman
Producing organization: David Sutherland Productions. Presented by WGBH/Frontline. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: production. Major funders: CPB/PBS Program Challenge Fund, ITVS, Frontline, CPB, LEF Foundation. Producer/director/writer: David Sutherland. Production manager: Lisa Olivieri. Frontline executive producer for special projects: Michael Sullivan. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Follows Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation, who struggles to keep her children and help other Native women like her who have been raped and abused from childhood.

Fall ’12

Both Sides Now (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of KQED (San Francisco) and the Mexican Heritage Corp. Episodes: 3 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Producer: Laurie Coyle. Contact: Sandy Schonning, sschonning kqed.org, 415-553-2391. ¶ Award-winning Mexican American artist Linda Ronstadt leads journey through the rich musical traditions and complex history of U.S.-Mexico border.

Sometime in ’12

Bug & Bot (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A production by Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Episodes: 40 x 30 (HD). Status: R&D. Executive producers: Sandra Sheppard, Ellen Doherty. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Multiplatform math project for children ages 4–6 features animated television series, immersive website and educational outreach. Leading characters are two unlikely friends, an enterprising little “girl” bug and a cautious “boy” robot.

Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America
Producing organizations: WNED-TV (Buffalo), Florentine Films/ Hott Productions Inc. Presenting station: WNED-TV. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Executive producer: John Grant. Producer: Lawrence Hott. Writer: Ken Chowder. Contact: John Grant, jagrant aol.com, 814-234-5210. ¶ Chronicles the life of Frederick Law Olmsted, the first great American landscape architect—who was also a farmer, seaman, traveler, journalist, publisher, social reformer and much more.

The Italian Americans (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of WETA and Ark Media. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 2 x 120 (HD). Status: fundraising. Executive producers for WETA: Jeff Bieber, Dalton Delan. Series producers: Barak Goodman, Rachel Dretzin. Producer/director: John Maggio. Co-writer/historian: Gay Talese. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ Author Gay Talese chronicles history of the Italian Americans.

The Latino Americans/Los Latinos Americanos (w.t.)
Producing organizations: A co-production of WETA and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB). Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 3 x 120 (HD). Status: fundraising. Major funders: Program Challenge Fund, CPB, Annenberg Foundation. Series executive producers for WETA: Jeff Bieber, Dalton Delan. Series executive producer for LPB: Patricia Boero. Series producer: Adriana Bosch. Contact: Kate Kelly, kkelly weta.com. ¶ Chronicles Latinos in the United States, their politics and culture over last 200 years, with American history as backdrop for dramatic individual lives. Outreach includes digital media project, companion series on NPR and partnerships with Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) and V-me, plus potential companion book.

The Making of North America (w.t.)
Producing organization: WGBH/Nova. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Senior executive producer: Paula S. Apsell. Contact: Meredith Nierman, Meredith_nierman wgbh.org. ¶ Explores mighty forces that molded North American landscape, featuring scientists’ adventurous journeys of exploration that reveal key processes in the continent’s geological formation.

Sometime in ’13

African American Lives 3
Producing organizations: A production of Kunhardt Productions, Inkwell Films, and Thirteen in association with WNET.org. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: development. Project Executive: William Grant. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Builds on the success of its predecessor programs with Gates, telling stories of a carefully selected group of African Americans using the most up-to-date DNA testing methods and genealogical tools.

Air dates to be determined

Actors in America: Places, Please
Producing organization: Ghost Light Films. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 4 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Budget: $5 million. Major funder: CPB Program Challenge Fund. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Series producer: Michael Kantor. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Looks back at the history of acting in America, with major national web, promotion and educational components.

Chimp Dynasty
Producing organizations: Story House Production and Oregon Public Broadcasting. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 5 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising. Budget: $2 million. Executive producers: David Davis, Carsten Oblaender. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Chimpanzee family dramas with chimps living in the Jane Goodall research center in Gombe, Tanzania, unfold over 15-year period.

Cities of History (w.t.)
Producing organization: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: R&D. Budget: $1.8 million. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Charismatic host leads forays through some of the world’s great cities, stopping at sites of significance in history, literature, film and art.

Cold Case Truth and Justice Project
Producing organizations: A co-production of Thirteen, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Paperny Films in association with WNET.org. Distributor: PBS. Episodes: 6 x 60 or 4 x 60 (HD). Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Tom Casciato. Contact: Melissa Turoff, turoffm thirteen.org, 212-560-8264. ¶ Delving into untold aspects of the civil rights era, series follows investigators, journalists, lawyers and victims’ families as they revive targeted cold cases.

Henry David Thoreau: A Biography (w.t.)
Producing organization: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: R&D. Budget: $500,000. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Director: Margaret Koval. Producer: Pat Aste. Writer: Margaret Koval. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ One-hour biography of Massachusetts poet, philosopher and abolitionist Henry David Thoreau.

Shakespeare’s Wings: Backstage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Producing organization: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 1 x 60 (HD). Status: fundraising. Budget: $300,000. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Observational documentary goes behind the scenes at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, the nation’s largest and most successful repertory theater.

Sound Tracks
Producing organization: The Talbot Players. Presenting station: Oregon Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 7 x 60 (HD). Status: postproduction. Budget: $415,000 per episode. Major funders: PBS, AT&T. Executive producer for OPB: David Davis. Series producer: Stephen Talbot. Contact: David Davis, ddavis opb.org, 503-293-1959. ¶ Explores what inspires world’s most interesting contemporary music.

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