AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER CHRIS SCHMIDT JOINS PBS’S SCIENCE SERIES NOVA AS SENIOR PRODUCER

BOSTON, MA (April 27, 2012) —NOVA announced today that documen- tary filmmaker Chris Schmidt will join the science series as a senior pro- ducer on April 30, 2012. Schmidt joins Senior Executive Producer Paula S. Produced for PBS by the Apsell during a time of expansion for the venerable science series, which is WGBH Science Unit produced for PBS by WGBH Boston. Currently in its 39th season, NOVA remains the most-watched primetime science series on American television.

“We’re extremely excited to have Chris join the NOVA team,” said Apsell, Senior Executive Producer of NOVA and NOVA scienceNOW and Director of the WGBH Science Unit who oversees on-air productions and initiatives beyond the broadcasts. “Chris brings to NOVA a proven track record of producing compelling and memorable television.”

Schmidt is an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker, who for the last 10 years has worn multiple hats for Powderhouse Productions: executive producer, writer, director and editor, to name a few. He has traveled the world to pro- duce and direct movies and television programs for the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic and PBS. In 2011, Schmidt ex- ecutive produced the popular four-hour NOVA mini-series “Making Stuff” as well as the recent two-hour special NOVA “Hunting the Elements.” In Funding for NOVA is provided 1990, he wrote and directed Banya, the first American independent feature by David H. Koch Fund for Science, ever shot in the USSR. His independent documentary, The Puppeteer, has the Howard Hughes Medical won numerous awards. Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Lockheed Martin Corporation, and public “I have the utmost respect for Paula Apsell and the entire NOVA team,” television viewers like you. Schmidt remarked. “I am thrilled to be part of a series that is respected, both nationally and internationally, as a trusted science source.”

The flagship weekly NOVA series, airing Wednesday nights at 9PM/8c, continues to produce comprehensive hour-long films, as well as a number of multi-part specials. In 2005, Apsell created the popular spin-off series NOVA scienceNOW, using a sciencemagazine-style format and a series hosted by tech guru David Pogue has recently been tapped to helm the new season of NOVA scienceNOW in October 2012. Earlier this year, NOVA launched its first iPad application, entitled Elements. This fall, NOVA will debut season three of The Secret Life of Scientists, a series of web-only epi- sodes appearing bimonthly at pbs.org/nova/secretlife. NOVA’s companion website pbs.org/nova amplifies the impact of its programs, and is consis- tently one of the most-visited website on pbs.org (one of the most trafficked dot-orgs in the world), with approximately a million visitors each month. Page 2, Chris Schmidt

Now in its 39th season, NOVA is the most-watched primetime science series on American televi- sion, reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. The series remains committed to produc- ing in-depth science programming in the form of hour-long (and occasionally longer) documentaries, from the latest breakthroughs in technology to the deepest mysteries of the natural world. NOVA airs Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT on WGBH Boston and most PBS stations. The Director of the WGBH Sci- ence Unit and Senior Executive Producer of NOVA is Paula S. Apsell.

Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch Fund For Science, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Lockheed Martin Corporation and public television viewers.

About PBS PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 123 million people through television and more than 21 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently hon- ored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ pre- mier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.

About WGBH WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local WGBH TV productions that focus on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and María Hinojo- sa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR® Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at www.wgbh.org.

PRESSROOMS pbs.org/pressroom • pressroom.wgbh.org/nova

Press Contacts Eileen Campion Karen Laverty Roslan & Campion Public Relations NOVA National Promotions [email protected] [email protected] 212.966.4600 617.300.4382 [email protected] [email protected]

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