PBS Summer TCA Press Tour Schedule
@pbs #TCA15
Follow @PBSPressRoom for PBS Press Tour updates.
Here’s a link to PBS general communications contacts (corporate, social media, primetime and kids): http://pressroom.pbs.org/PBS-Press-Contacts.aspx.
Please see our @PBS Social Media Cheat Sheet for a full list of handles and hashtags.
Reminder about PHOTOS:
PBS offers two ways to access free, professional, candid, hi-res Press Tour photos during Press Tour:
1) Visit our PBS PressRoom Flickr stream: www.flickr.com/photos/pbs_press_tour/collections/ (or search “PBS Flickr”)
2) Go to our PBS PressRoom site: www.pbs.org/pressroom (which also includes photos from the shows)
***No pictures or videotaping allowed in the ballrooms during sessions or performances***
Friday, July 31
10:00 – 2:00 a.m. – Preview PBS closed-circuit programs on channels 74 and 75. See separate schedule.
Saturday, August 1
6:00 – 8:50 a.m. – Preview PBS closed-circuit programs on channels 74 and 75. See separate schedule.
8:30 Buffet breakfast in the Beverly Ballroom
9:00 NATURE CAT press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom | @PBSKIDS | #NatureCatPBS
PBS KIDS new NATURE CAT follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. In each episode, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat, “backyard explorer extraordinaire.” Nature Cat can’t wait to get outside for a day of backyard nature excursions and bravery, but there’s one problem: He’s still a house cat with no instincts for nature. Like many of today’s kids, Nature Cat is eager and enthusiastic about outside activities, but is at times intimidated by them. With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat embarks on action- packed adventures that include exciting missions full of nature investigation, “aha” discovery moments and humor, all while inspiring children to go outside and “play the show.”
• Bobby Moynihan, voice actor (SNL) • David Rudman, co-creator (“Cookie Monster” SESAME STREET) • Adam Rudman, co-creator (SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE) PR contact: Maria Vera 703-739-3225; [email protected]; Premieres November 25
10:00 Executive Session in the International Ballroom | @paulakerger | @PBS • Paula Kerger, President & CEO PR contact: Anne Bentley, 703-739-5021; [email protected]
10:45 MASTERPIECE “Sherlock” press conference in the International Ballroom | @MasterpiecePBS #SherlockPBS
• Steven Moffat, co-writer and executive producer • Sue Vertue, producer • Rebecca Eaton, series executive producer PR contacts: Ellen Dockser, 617-300-5338; [email protected]; Olivia Wong, 617- 300-5349; [email protected]; Premiere date TBA
11:30 MASTERPIECE “Indian Summers” press conference in the International Ballroom @MasterpiecePBS | #IndianSummersPBS
Julie Walters plays the glamorous doyenne of an English social club in the twilight of British rule in India. The lavish nine-part series explores the collision of the English ruling class and local people agitating for Indian independence. The two sides alternately clash and merge in intricate games of power, politics and passion. Also starring are Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Jemima West, Nikesh Patel, Roshan Seth and Lillete Dubey.
• Henry Lloyd-Hughes, actor, “Ralph Whelan” • Nikesh Patel, actor, “Aafrin Dalal” • Julie Walters, actor, “Cynthia Coffin” (via satellite) • Paul Rutman, creator and writer • Charlie Pattinson, executive producer (via satellite) • Rebecca Eaton, executive producer, MASTERPIECE PR contacts: Ellen Dockser, 617-300-5338; [email protected]; Olivia Wong, 617- 300-5349; [email protected]; Premieres September 27
12:15 Buffet lunch in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
1:00 MERCY STREET press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom | @PBS | #MercyStreetPBS
MERCY STREET follows a diverse and colorful cast of characters — doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and Southern loyalists — and brings to life the chaotic world of Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia, and the Mansion House Hospital in the early years of the Civil War.
• McKinley Belcher III, actor, (“Show Me A Hero,” “Chicago PD”), “Samuel Diggs,” a black laborer harboring a secret knowledge and ability in medicine, which he learned as a boy servant • AnnaSophia Robb, actor (“The Carrie Diaries” The Way, Way Back, Bridge to Terabithia), “Alice Green,” the younger sister of the Green family • Norbert Leo Butz, actor (“Bloodline”), “Dr. Byron Hale,” an old-school army surgeon who lives life by the book • Gary Cole, actor (“Veep,” “The Good Wife,” “Entourage”), “James Green, Sr.,” patriarch of the Green family, struggling to maintain his family business while living in an occupied city • Jack Falahee, actor (“How to Get Away With Murder”), “Frank Stringfellow,” betrothed to Emma Green, the eldest daughter of the Green family • Hannah James, actor, “Emma Green,” an entitled Southern young woman who volunteers as a nurse at Mansion House Hospital, the facility established on the site of her family’s luxury hotel • Josh Radnor, actor (“How I Met Your Mother”), “Jedediah Foster,” the civilian contract surgeon at Mansion House Hospital • Tara Summers, actor ("You're the Worst", "Rake", "Boston Legal"), “Anne Hastings,” a nurse whose claim to fame is her experience working with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War. • Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“The Returned,” The Spectacular Now) “Mary Phinney,” a feisty New Englander and widow who is a newcomer nurse at Mansion House Hospital • Lisa Wolfinger, co-creator and executive producer (“Desperate Crossing, The Untold story of the Mayflower”) • David Zabel, co-creator, head writer and executive producer (“ER”) • David Zucker, executive producer (“The Good Wife,” “The Man in the High Castle”) PR contacts: Joe DePlasco, [email protected], 212-981-5125; Lisa Summers, [email protected]; 212-981-5245; Premieres January 17
Panel followed by dessert and coffee reception with the panel in the Wilshire Ballroom
3:00 AMERICAN MASTERS “Norman Lear (w.t.)” press conference in the International Ballroom @PBSAmerMasters | #AmericanMasters
Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear’s name is synonymous with the sitcom. At the peak of his career, approximately 120 million viewers tuned into his shows, including All in the Family, “Maude,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times” and “One Day at a Time,” every week. With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady combine stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success and social activism. The documentary will also feature colorful stories from Lear’s family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Marla Gibbs, Alan Horn, Louise Lasser, Bill Moyers, Mary Kay Place, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner and Russell Simmons. These stories showcase how Lear set out to make people laugh, but ended up doing so much more, while creating some of the greatest moments in television history. Premieres Fall 2016
• Norman Lear • Rachel Grady, filmmaker • Michael Kantor, series executive producer PR contact: Natasha Padilla, 212-560-8824; [email protected]
4:00 AMERICAN EPIC press conference in the International Ballroom | @AmericanEpic | #AmericanEpicPBS
A three-part historical documentary, AMERICAN EPIC takes us on a journey across time to the birth of modern music, when the musical strands of a diverse nation first combined to spark a cultural renaissance that forever transformed the future of music and the world. Feature-length film THE AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS showcases performances by contemporary artists in a 1920s recording studio utilizing the same equipment on which musicians recorded 90 years ago, creating a musical and technical link between today’s artists and the musicians whose earliest recordings had such an impact on American culture.
• Taj Mahal, musician • Bernard MacMahon, filmmaker • Stephen Segaller, executive-in-charge PR contacts: Natasha Padilla, 212-560-8824, [email protected]; Joe DePlasco, 212-981-5125; [email protected]; Premieres in January 2016
5:00 MASTERPIECE “Downton Abbey, Season 6” press conference in the International Ballroom followed by cocktail hour with the cast in the International Terrace | @MasterpiecePBS | #DowntonPBS
The top PBS drama of all time approaches its climactic chapter as Downton Abbey embarks on its final season. The year is 1925, and momentous change threatens the great house, its owners, and servants. Past scandals are also looming. The beloved ensemble is back for their farewell performance, closing the book on a television legend.
• Hugh Bonneville, “Robert Crawley” • Laura Carmichael, “Lady Edith” • Michelle Dockery, “Lady Mary” • Joanne Froggatt, “Anna Bates” • Elizabeth McGovern, “Cora Crawley” • Penelope Wilton, “Isobel Crawley” • Gareth Neame, executive producer, “Downton Abbey” • Rebecca Eaton, executive producer, MASTERPIECE PR contacts: Ellen Dockser, 617-300-5338; [email protected]; Olivia Wong, 617- 300-5349; [email protected]
7:15 Buffet dinner in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
8:00 The PBS Arts Fall Festival’s LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER “Kern and Hammerstein’s Show Boat” performance and press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom | @LiveFromLC | #LFLC | #PBSArts
This groundbreaking musical redefined entertainment and changed the face of American theater. With an all-star cast led by Vanessa Williams and Downton Abbey’s Julian Ovenden, this New York Philharmonic production highlights the lush musical score at the center of this epic show. Spanning the years from 1880 to 1927, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s lyrical masterpiece concerns the lives, loves and heartbreaks of three generations of show folk on the Mississippi, in Chicago and on Broadway. Its impact remains unparalleled, addressing racial prejudice, introducing a bi-racial cast to Broadway and pointing the way toward a new synthesis between music and spectacle.
• Vanessa Williams, performer • Andrew Wilk, series executive producer PR contact: Eric Gewirtz, 212-875-5049, [email protected]; Premieres October 16
***No pictures or videotaping allowed in the ballrooms during sessions or performances***
9:30 Evening ends 10:00 – 2:00 a.m. – Preview PBS closed-circuit programs on channels 74 and 75. See separate schedule.
Sunday, August 2
6:00 – 8:50 a.m. – Preview PBS closed-circuit programs (channels 74 and 75). See separate schedule.
8:30 Buffet breakfast in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
9:00 NOVA “Making North America” press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom | @NovaPBS #NovaPBS
NOVA’s unprecedented three-part series presents a bold and sweeping biography of our homeland. How was it built? How did life evolve? How did the landscape shape us? Paleontologist Kirk Johnson hosts an epic journey to reveal the incredible story of a continent.
• Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director, Smithsonian National Museum of History • Emily Wolin, Ph.D Candidate, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University • Lisa White, Ph.D, Director of Education and Outreach, UC Museum of Paleontology • Julia Cort, series deputy executive producer • Paula Apsell, series senior executive producer PR contact: Jennifer Welsh, 617-300-4382; [email protected]; Eileen Campion, 212-966- 4600; cell: 646-325-6455; [email protected]; Premieres November 4
9:45 INDEPENDENT LENS “India’s Daughter” press conference in the International Ballroom @IndependentLens | #IndieLens
This film pays tribute to the remarkable short life of Jyoti Singh and documents the brutality of her gang rape and murder in Delhi in December 2012. Recently banned in India, the powerful documentary explores the compelling human stories behind the incident and examines the root causes of violence against women in India.
• Leslee Udwin, filmmaker • Lois Vossen, founding series producer • Additional talent TBA PR contact: Lisa Tawil, 415-356-8383 x244; [email protected]
10:30 BIG BLUE LIVE press conference in the International Ballroom | @PBS | #BigBlueLive
BIG BLUE LIVE features an irresistible cast, including some of world’s most extraordinary animals, like humpback and blue whales, sea otters, great white sharks, elephant seals, marine birds, and hundreds more live from Monterey Bay, California. This first-of-its-kind TV and multi-platform media event runs three consecutive nights from August 31 to September 2, at 8:00 p.m. ET and again at 8:00 PT. The story of these animals’ annual return to the Bay – told by a team of science experts using state-of-the-art technology – underscores the history, ecology, and extraordinary rejuvenation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a national treasure larger than Yellowstone National Park and deeper than the Grand Canyon.
• Dr. M. Sanjayan, series co-anchor and conservation scientist • Dr. Joy Reidenberg, contributing scientist • James Honeyborne, executive producer, Natural History Unit, BBC • Bill Gardner, vice president, PBS Programming and Development PR contacts: John Michael Kennedy, 212-842-1752; [email protected]; Ellen Booth, [email protected]; 202-744-1762; Premieres August 31-Sept 2
11:00 THE BRAIN press conference in the International Ballroom | @PBS | #BrainPBS
Neuroscientist David Eagleman explores the human brain in an epic series that reveals the ultimate story of us, why we feel and think the things we do. This ambitious project blends science with innovative visual effects and compelling personal stories, and addresses some big questions. By understanding the human brain, we can come close to understanding humanity.
• Dr. David Eagleman, host, author and neuroscientist • Austin Naber, cup-stacking world champion • Justine Kershaw, executive producer • Bill Gardner, vice president, PBS Programming and Development PR Contacts: Brian Moriarty, 646-594-0049; [email protected]; Atiya Frederick, 571- 982-2913; [email protected]; Premieres October 14
11:45 NATURE’S MIRACLE ORPHANS press conference in the International Ballroom | @PBSNature #NaturePBS
Growing up in the wild is always rough — and young animals rely on their parents to protect and nurture them through the dangerous early phase of life. But how do young animals survive when they’ve lost their mothers? This heartwarming, emotional series follows the work of animal rescue centers around the world and introduces the extraordinary people who have devoted their lives to helping all kinds of wild orphans get back on their feet.
• Ms. Sam Trull, co-founder and director of The Sloth Institute, Costa Rica • Mark Wheeler, producer • Female baby sloth from wildlife education facility (with handler) • Fred Kaufman, series executive producer PR contact: Johanna Baker, 212-560-3134; [email protected]; Premieres September 23 and 30
12:45 Buffet lunch in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
1:15 AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Walt Disney” press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom @AmExperiencePBS | #WaltDisneyPBS
Walt Disney was uniquely adept at art as well as commerce, a master filmmaker who harnessed the power of technology and storytelling. This new two-part, four-hour film offers an unprecedented look at Disney’s complex life and enduring legacy, featuring rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, and interviews with biographers, animators and artists who worked on early films, including Snow White, and the designers who helped turn his dream of Disneyland into reality.
• Richard Sherman, composer (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book) • Neal Gabler, cultural historian and author of the best-selling Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination • Don Hahn, Academy Award-nominated producer of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Maleficent; assistant director to legendary producer-director Wolfgang Reitherman (Jungle Book) • Carmenita Higginbotham, associate professor, Department of Art, University of Virginia; teaches a class on the cultural and visual impact of Disney in American popular culture • Sarah Colt, producer and director (“Henry Ford” “God in America” “We Shall Remain”) • Mark Samels, executive producer PR contact: Cara White, 843-881-1480; [email protected]; Premieres September 14 and 15
2:45 PBS Food overview
I’LL HAVE WHAT PHIL’S HAVING press conference in the International Ballroom | @PBS #WhatPhilsHaving
Journey with Phil Rosenthal, creator of the TV hit “Everybody Loves Raymond,” as he learns from the chefs, vendors, culinary leaders and style-setters who keep their communities’ traditions alive and create new ones. Rosenthal visits kitchens on and off the well-worn gastronomic path, leading viewers from one of the least expensive Michelin-starred restaurants in Asia to a Los Angeles bakery training former gang members.
• Phil Rosenthal, series host and executive producer • Chef Roy Choi, featured guest • John Bredar, vice president, WGBH National Programming PR contact: Chris Roslan, [email protected]; 212-966-4600, 917-538-5629 Premieres September 28
3:45 Dessert reception with Emmy-winning Chef Vivian Howard of A CHEF’S LIFE in the International Ballroom Foyer
4:30 FRONTLINE “My Brother’s Bomber” press conference in the International Ballroom | @FrontlinePBS #FrontlinePBS
For some 25 years, FRONTLINE producer Ken Dornstein has been haunted by the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland—the terrorist act that killed 270 people, including his older brother David. Now, in this emotional and suspenseful three-part serial, Dornstein sets out to find the men responsible for one of the worst attacks on Americans before 9/11. From the ruins and chaos of post-Qaddafi Libya, Dornstein hunts for clues to the identities and whereabouts of the suspects, whom he tracks for almost five years across the Middle East and Europe. With each episode, Dornstein encounters new witnesses and unearths fresh evidence that brings him closer to the truth. Watch this rare, real-life spy thriller that’s also a timely reflection on the legacy of America’s long war on terror and a lyrical meditation on loss, love, revenge and the nature of obsession.
• Ken Dornstein, author, filmmaker and brother of Lockerbie bombing victim • FBI Special Agent Richard Marquise, featured participant • Raney Aronson, executive producer PR contact: Pam Johnston [email protected]; 617-300-5327; Premieres September 29
5:15 PBS “Pipeline Preview” in the International Ballroom | @PBS
But wait, there’s more! PBS has even more insightful content coming up this fall and next year. See sneak peeks of Stanley Nelson’s THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION, An INDEPENDENT LENS Special; IN THEIR OWN WORDS, profiles of such notable figures as Queen Elizabeth II, who will become Britain’s longest-serving monarch in September, when the program airs; THE WIDOWER, a suspenseful three-part drama based on the true story of a serial wife-killer; and STORY OF CHINA, Michael Wood’s survey of the culture and history of China from ancient times to the present.
• Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming
5:45 Buffet dinner in the Beverly Hills Ballroom
6:30 GREAT PERFORMANCES “Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do” performance and press conference in the Beverly Hills Ballroom | @GPerfPBS | #GreatPerformances | #PBSArts
An evening with Broadway legend and ground-breaking star Chita Rivera, who originated roles in classic musicals like “West Side Story,” “Chicago” and “Bye Bye Birdie.” She went on to win two Tony Awards (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”; “The Rink”) and was most recently nominated for the 10th time in “The Visit”.
• Chita Rivera • David Horn, series executive producer PR contact: Harry Forbes, 212-560-8027; [email protected]
***No pictures or videotaping allowed in the ballrooms during sessions or performances***
8:00 PBS Press Tour ends.
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Follow @PBSPressRoom for PBS Press Tour updates
Please see our @PBS Social Media Cheat Sheet for a full list of handles and hashtags.
Reminder about PHOTOS:
PBS offers two ways to access free, professional, candid, hi-res Press Tour photos during Press Tour:
1) Visit our PBS PressRoom Flickr stream: www.flickr.com/photos/pbs_press_tour/collections/ (or search “PBS Flickr”)
2) Go to our PBS PressRoom site: www.pbs.org/pressroom (which also includes photos from the shows)