WNET has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to develop the Community Stories campaign, which highlights the rich cultural heritage and contributions of ordinary New Yorkers. Each month, a new video will be featured on air and on the Web highlighting individual New Yorkers’ immigrant stories. Learn more about the campaign and check out this month’s spotlight below, featuring Pastor Mullery Jean-Pierre of Beraca Baptist Church.
Pastor Mullery Jean-Pierre of Beraca Baptist Church discusses emigrating from Haiti to the U.S. as a child and his parents’ involvement with the first Haitian church in New York City:
We recently spoke with Live from the Artists Den’s Executive Producer, Mark Lieberman, and Director of Programming, Alan Light to discuss the fourth season of the popular music series. Joining the Artists Den’s lineup this season are artists Adele, The Fray, Death Cab for Cutie, Kid Rock, Iron and Wine, and Amos Lee. Here, Lieberman and Light discuss what planning a season of the show entails, and what makes Live from the Artists Den so unique.
Enter to win an Artists Den prize package, including Adele’s hit album, 21, and a Live From the Artists Den season three compilation DVD.
What does planning a season for the show entail, in terms of selecting artists and venues?
Alan Light: There’s not a simple equation — it’s lining up a lot of different moving parts. Certainly where we start from is trying to find the artists who are active during that time who we think are the strongest live performers that are out there. We’re in the fortunate position of not really having to worry about one genre or one style; we can really just look for excellence from whichever musician we really love out there, and that’s where the conversation starts. Simultaneously, a search is going on and venue possibilities being amassed and gathered, and then comes an elaborate jigsaw puzzle of trying to schedule when they’re free, when they can be available, where they’re most interested to play, and what’s the most perfect spot that lines up with that. It can vary – sometimes there is a break in somebody’s schedule in a city and so we try to find the best spot that’s close by. Sometimes, as with Kid Rock playing Graceland, we were in conversation with Kid Rock and the Graceland opportunity presented itself, and his team said, “We’ve gotta do that, that’s the coolest thing ever. So, we will work our schedule around that to get ourselves to Memphis for the show.”
The challenges are, who’s out there working, what’s the right timing, when can we get to them, and then, where is the right place to put them and when is that place free? So, we spin the wheel until they line up.
Mark Lieberman: Really for us the goal is to try to create a once in a lifetime experience for television viewers and for that audience. We spend a lot of time trying to put the right artist and the right place together. When we do, we end up with something really magical that has the ability to be of interest for many, many years.
ML: I think it’s a couple of things. The first is that we’re re-imagining the stage for music, and what’s important to us about finding these locations is we believe that they inspire a rare and very creatively inspired performance that you won’t see that artist provide in a traditional venue setting. The second is that we are able to honor some of the great historic landmarks of our country and tell a local story. So, in the Tucson Amos Lee episode, there’s a real strong tie between the artist and Tucson, where he made his last album, “Mission Bell.” A band from Arizona called Calexico performed on that album and ended up playing in our episode, and we were able to tell the story of the historic Fox Theatre and the redevelopment effort around culture in Tucson, all in an hour. We think that’s really interesting for public television viewers, who care about the arts and culture and music, that we’re able to do all those things in one. There’s even a taste of architecture and the history of some of these great buildings and iconic landmarks, whether it be the Brooklyn Museum and its rich history with Death Cab for Cutie, or the Angel Orensanz Center, which used to be an old synagogue and has been part of the cultural fabric of downtown New York for the last 30 years. There are so many interesting stories to be told — we believe we do a really nice job of telling them, and they’re contextualized with a wonderful performance of music.
Are there any artists or genres that haven’t yet appeared on the show that you’d like to feature?
AL: Well, I think there are lots of directions to go. With the right hip hop artist, I’d love to feature them if we could find the right way to present that on our stage. We’ve had a couple of country and R&B singers, but I think there are still lots of opportunities to do new things in those communities. I don’t think that we look at it with any kind of limit on what we would do…it’s more a matter of if we think somebody makes sense in that setting, who really can play without hiding behind anything, even we when we get the big, arena-sized stars up there. Obviously, they’re in a room in front of 300 people, no pyrotechnics, no explosions – it’s about who we think can really work that stripped down and up close.
ML: We try to celebrate both the greats in music — the Robert Plants, the Elvis Costellos — and also provide an element of discovery where we’re introducing a public television viewer to an Amos Lee or an Iron and Wine. So that opens us up. We’re always able to have flexibility to just put what we think would be exciting from a television standpoint and from a music standpoint on the stage, being genre agnostic.
Grammy nominee Adele kicks off the fourth season of Live from the Artists Den from Santa Monica.
ML: Adele was an artist that we’ve been following for quite a while, from her album “Nineteen” back in 2009. When we had the opportunity to be a part of her week of release in the United States, we really had no idea what the year ahead was going to entail. I think what that episode presents of her and her music is a real innocence, and a real preview of things to come, and obviously honors the greatness of her music. We’re very excited about that episode.
AL: Adele very quickly became the absolute biggest star music has seen in recent years in the months that followed our shoot with her, so it’s an incredible thrill that we got to her just immediately before she really took over the world. And certainly shooting Kid Rock – no one has ever done a shoot inside of Graceland, with a performance inside Elvis’s home, and it took a lot of disparate pieces aligning to enable us to do that. For Kid Rock, he approached it as a highlight of his career and a real landmark appearance for him. So, the fact that we could enable something like that and take a multi-platinum artist and get them access to something that they couldn’t otherwise do, I think that’s always what’s most exciting for us. They have a lot of choices about the things that they could do – the shows that they could play, the stages they could appear on; we have the ability to do something that they can’t do, which is to get them into these really unique spaces and otherwise inaccessible spaces. So when we can do that on that kind of scale, that’s a new level of accomplishment for us.
ML: Overall, I think this season takes us to the most cities that we’ve ever been in a season. The majority of season four is outside of New York – whether it be Santa Monica, Tucson, Memphis, Atlanta – and what we’re seeing as we go into pre-production on these shows is a real excitement from the local arts community about the Artists Den coming to town. People know the show, they like the way we’re honoring their city, their connection to music, their connection to the arts, and they’re very proud of their own Artists Den that we jointly selected. Many times the selection process now comes with the Mayor’s Office and the film office and people locally who help us define what’s special in their city and what would be a great place to showcase music. We think that is a unique piece of this for public television, in that public television is about the local community and the arts community, and we involve public television in these shows, their guests are in the audience, and obviously they get to celebrate when the show comes on to television. We’re told that for most of the season four episodes, they’re actually doing premiere parties in the venues where we did the taping.
What’s your favorite part and the most challenging part of your job?
ML: The favorite part is being able to make very big artists really excited and inspired in a unique way that no one has done for them before, and to translate that into making a local, national and a global audience excited about that artist’s music in a way that no other vehicle may provide. The fact that we’re able to deliver an hour-long performance of that artist really separates the show from what has become a world of clips. We think we can help create new fans. So that is the most important part I think of what we do at the Artists Den – it’s very creative, it’s dynamic – we’re constantly trying to push the envelope of what adventure we can come up with next. It’s no fun to plateau, so we’re just going to keep on hunting for more exciting, more creative venues that inspire even better performances. All of that is also all the challenges we have in front of us. We set the bar high, and the artists that we’re now working with are looking back at past seasons and saying, “I want something even more interesting. I want something even more special than what you’ve done.” The creative challenge that presents makes our jobs very hard, because we can’t just show up with a good idea, it just isn’t going to cut it.
AL: I think the most rewarding and the most challenging are pretty much the same thing – continuing to find ways to spin that wheel and to line up artists and locations and timing, and to get bigger and better artists, better and cooler and more unique spaces, and produce more frequently. Any one of those you could compromise to make it easier, but we’re still at a place where we want to keep making each of them more interesting and more exciting. So, that’s the greatest reward, but also the most difficult task.
For more information and Web extras, visit the Artists Densite for behind-the-scenes photos of each show, check them out on Facebook for “Inside the Den” videos about the venues featured each week, and watch previews of all the episodes on Hulu.
Series Creator and Executive Producer of American Masters, Susan Lacy
The Producers Guild Awards celebrate the year’s finest producing work in motion picture and television. This past Saturday, American Masters was honored as Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television, beating out 30 for 30 from ESPN, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations from the Travel Channel, Deadliest Catch from the Discovery Channel, and Undercover Boss from CBS.
The PGA Awards win follows other honors for the 25th anniversary season of American Masters, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Primetime Nonfiction Series – its eighth win in 11 years! – and two Peabody Awards for A Letter to Elia and LennoNYC .
Congratulations to the American Masters team! Other winners from the PBS family include Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey (with the David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television) and Sesame Street (with the Children’s Programs award).
From Laura Linney’s introduction and the opening notes of the orchestral theme score, to the final close-up and the end credits, the highly anticipated second season of Downton Abbey, which returns us to the Crawley Family and their servants in the throes of World War I, is chock full of moment after memorable moments.
Blogger Deborah Gilbert counts down the Top Five moments from the last episode. Read more and share your thoughts on The Downton Dish.
At the Paley Center returns for a second season on January 24, this time focusing on the series, “She’s Making Media.”
In keeping with the Paley Center’s history of celebrating women’s contributions to the media landscape, the series features digital media’s next generation of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators while also looking at the work and wisdom from some of media’s icons.
Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary (Courtesy of (c) Carnival Film & Television Limited 2011 for MASTERPIECE)
When Downton Abbey returns on January 23, viewers can expect major changes as World War I makes its presence felt throughout the household and the lives and conventions of Downton’s residents are turned upside down.
Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, and Elizabeth McGovern are back with an all-star cast for the second season of Julian Fellowes’ Emmy Award winning drama.
Season two of Downton Abbey airs Mondays January 23 through February 27 at 9 p.m. on WLIW21. Full episodes will also be available to watch online after broadcast.
Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET, recently sat down with Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora) to discuss season two, similarities to her character, her career in the theater, and much more:
On Thursday, December 22nd,THIRTEEN and WLIW21 will debut an on-air MetroFocus special, “Tech Campus NYC.”
The special report, hosted by Rafael Pi Roman, with a special contribution from Jane Pauley, will take viewers behind the breaking news of the winning bid for Applied Sciences NYC. On December 19th, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Cornell University and its partner, Israel’s Technion Institute, had won the competition for a land grant and $100 million from New York City to build a massive new technology and engineering school on Roosevelt Island.
Viewers will hear commentary about the local significance of this project from special guests including Cornell University President David Skorton, The Technion Institute President Peretz Lavie, New York Academy of Sciences Director of Innovation Karin Ezbiansky Pavese and New York City Economic Development Corporation’s newly appointed and first Entrepreneur at Large Steve Rosenbaum.
Jane Pauley speaks with Steve Rosenbaum, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s first Entrepreneur at Large
“Tech Campus NYC” will air on THIRTEEN on Thursday, December 22nd at 11 p.m., and will rebroadcast as an encore on Saturday, December 24th at 7:30 a.m. The special will also air on WLIW21 on Thursday, December 22nd at 5:00 a.m. will rebroadcast as an encore on Friday, December 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
“Tech Campus NYC” marks the next phase of a multiplatform initiative to bring local news and culture coverage to the tri-state region. The website for MetroFocus launched July 11, 2011. A mobile platform is expected to launch in early 2012 as well.
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“Tech Campus NYC” is a production of WLIW21 and the Interactive Engagement Group in association with WNETNew York Public Media.
This MetroFocus special is made possible by the Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, Josh and Judy Weston, Jody and John Arnhold, James and Merryl Tisch, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Jean and Ralph Baruch and the Metropolitan Media Fund. Corporate funding is provided by Mutual of America.
In November, WQXR – the nation’s most listened-to classical music radio station – and the venerable comedy club Carolines on Broadway honored the traditional pairing of comedy and classical music with WQXR’s Classical Comedy Contest, presented as part of the New York Comedy Festival. The contest was broadcast on WLIW21 on December 8 & 10.
The competitors were chosen from 79 hopefuls from around the world. They have appeared everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Comedy Central, from the Metropolitan Opera to Late Night with David Letterman and include a harpist/stand-up comic from Brooklyn; a concert pianist/magician from Poland; a New York-based soprano whose partner plays the musical saw; an opera singer with a “rogue accompanist”; a Berlin-based recorder player who performs at variety shows and circuses; and a Scandinavian pianist who got his start as a funny man during a concert at Victor Borge Hall in New York, whose audience included delighted members of Mr. Borge’s family.
The winner was selected by a world-class line-up of judges from the worlds of comedy and music, including comedian Robert Klein; Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach fame; Soprano Deborah Voigt; and Charles Hamlen of the classical music management company IMG.
The WQXR Classical Comedy Contest finalists were:
Magnus Martensson – pianist/comedian
Jim Wallenberg – stand-up violinist
David Cope – stand-up harpist
Igor Lipinski – pianist and magician
Gabor Vosteen – visual comedian/recorder player
Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw – cranial percussionists
Sarah Worthington and Nathan Carver – singer and musical saw player
Elizabeth Tryon & Mark Janas – opera singer with rogue accompanist
The Patchogue Community (Photo courtesy of Jackson Hill Photography, LLC)
On Wednesday, December 7, join us at the Museum of Arts and Design for a screening of Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness. The film tells the story of residents of a Long Island village who took action after a local immigrant was killed in a hate crime attack by seven teenagers. While starkly revealing the trauma of hate, the film provides a blueprint for people who want to do something before intolerance turns to violence.
Over 200 screenings of this film are being held across the country to spark dialogue and action in communities working together to prevent hate crimes, intolerance and anti-immigrant violence. Not In Our Town highlights the role of community and civic leaders in promoting a climate of inclusion and acceptance for everyone.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and special guests about what each of us can do in the New York region to stop hate together in our communities and schools, and how you can support the Not In Our Town mission. The event runs from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; light hors d’oeuvres will be served before the screening begins at 7 p.m.
Learn more about the background of this film with MetroFocus’ feature about the Patchogue hate crime.
Watch a trailer:
This screening is presented by NIOT. Co-sponsors include Michele and Martin Cohen, Facing History and Ourselves, Center for Health Media and Policy, and The Working Group/Not In Our Town.
Digit from Cyberchase high-fives a young fan at last year's Winter's Eve celebration
Lincoln Square Business Improvement District hosts the 12th annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, New York City’s largest outdoor holiday festival, on Monday, November 28th from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. WNET returns this year as an official media sponsor of the event.
The festivities kick-off in Dante Park (Broadway and 63rd Street) at 5:30 p.m., with a performance by Arlo Guthrie and family and the Newark Boys Chorus, followed by the traditional lighting of the Upper West Side neighborhood’s holiday tree. The Outer Borough Brass Band will perform after the Tree Lighting. Immediately following the festivities in Dante Park, Broadway — from Time Warner Center to 68th Street — will transform into a winter wonderland featuring free musical and theatrical entertainment, food tastings from area restaurants, and fun activities for people of all ages. Activities take place on the sidewalks of Broadway as well as inside at area businesses and nonprofit organizations.
As a media sponsor, WNET is hosting an open house at The Tisch WNET Studios. Visitors to the studio will have the opportunity to:
Meet and pose for photos with Buddy from Dinosaur Train
Be interviewed about public television for upcoming Street Talk interstitials
Tour the studio
Hear performances by the Kaufman Center’s Face the Music Quartet and Pannonia Quartet
Watch outtakes from NATURE: Christmas in Yellowstone
The first 150 Thirteen or WLIW members to show their active MemberCard will receive a gift from WNET and Lincoln Square BID
The New York Cares Coat Drive will be the event’s charitable beneficiary, and the Parks Department will run a free trolley service up and down Broadway during the event. Winter’s Eve attendees are encouraged to donate gently used or new coats of all sizes on the night of the event at Dante Park at Broadway and 63rd Street, at Kids’ Central at the American Bible Society (Broadway and 61st Street) and at various other locations throughout the neighborhood. New York Cares especially needs children’s coats and large men’s coats this season to help people in need citywide.
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Winter’s Eve official sponsors include presenting sponsor Time Warner as well as The Shops at Columbus Circle, the American Bible Society, Con Edison, Glenwood Management, Ogden CAP Properties LLC, Fordham University, Roosevelt Hospital, Milstein Properties, Century 21 Department Store, Mandarin Oriental New York, Empire Hotel, Bonafide Estates, Inc., TD Bank, Titan, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Fidelity Investments, New York Institute of Technology, Atlantic Grill, Rosa Mexicano at Lincoln Center, Zagat Survey; media sponsors include WABC-TV, WNET, Time Out NY Kids, WFUV radio, WBGO, and IN New York and Where magazines.
