TCA Summer 2024 Press Tour — Day 1 Highlights
As the media industry landscape continues to evolve, on our first day at TCA Press Tour, we showcased content that can only be found on PBS, including drama, breaking news, civics, history, and science shows.
After previewing the thrilling MASTERPIECE content coming this Fall, we delved deep into the next chapter of MAGPIE MURDERS with MOONFLOWER MURDERS.
The panel revealed how exciting it was to cast actors, like panelists Pippa Bennett-Warner and Tim McCullan, who would be playing both characters in the past and the present and the opportunities it presents to both the actors and the creative teams creating wardrobes and makeup designs to jump between two worlds. Creator, writer and EP Anthony Horowitz and EP Jill Green also acknowledged the success of MAGPIE MURDERS and how this story keeps the DNA of the first season, but brings many new surprises to audiences. MASTERPIECE EP Susanne Simpson also discussed relationships between UK content producers and how MASTERPIECE is investing in new series that bring period dramas to viewers.
After the events of the past week, NEWS HOUR co-anchors Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz joined us from Milwaukee at the RNC to reiterate their commitment to fair, careful, and deep reporting as news continues to break about recent events. The whole NEWS HOUR team has been reporting on what a future Trump or Biden presidency would look like, which helped them navigate and rally resources get facts to their audiences quickly in the aftermath of last weekend.
Our commitment to bringing communities together is showcased with the special DEADLOCK, which aims to show how to have public dialogue without acrimony or defaulting to a win-lose or right-wrong model. TCA panelists Aaron Tang, show moderator, EP Andy Lack and EP & VP of National Programming at GBH John Bredar broke down how the program is different from current debate shows, how panelists and the moderator were selected, and why hypothetical situations help break down expectations and assumptions.
We switched gears from civic engagement to an ode to Blake Edwards whose life and impact was celebrated by our panelists. Actresses Bo Derek and Lesley Ann Warren shared their experience working with Edwards and how he was able to put people at ease with his confidence and how he centered powerful women in his films. Director Danny Gold and AMERICAN MASTERS EP Michael Kantor also shared what they discovered about this larger-than-life icon while creating the documentary.
After a quick lunch break, we returned to the stage by placing a spotlight on neurodiversity in children’s programming.
We welcomed the talent behind the new series CARL THE COLLECTOR, including creator and EP Zachariah OHora, director Lisa Whittick, and writer Ava Rigelhaupt to showcase the incredible talent that went into creating a thoughtful and fun series. The panelists spotlighted the intentionality behind how characters were animated reacting to stimuli like sound and color and how authenticity and inclusivity are at the heart of the show.
Next, our focus shifted to the world of civic engagement where INDEPENDENT LENS examines the Electoral College in “One Person, One Vote?” The panel of experts debated how the Electoral College impacts voter turnout and where candidates spend time and money when campaigning. The filmmaker, Maximina Juson, discussed how she wanted to take an opaque process and put a human face on it and why she picked Colorado to show the diversity of America in different ways.
From examining political world, we moved to examining the natural world and how we interact with it with NATURE “San Diego: America’s Wildest City.” To emphasize San Diego’s incredible biodiversity, we had a few special guests join our panelists, writer & director Nate Dappen and NATURE EP Fred Kaufman, on stage.
While accompanied by an annoyed rattlesnake, Dappen discussed how his two years in San Diego were remarkable and how they focused on animals that anyone can see in the area. As Ziggy the coydog joined the stage, our panel delved in deep into how urban environments impact the local flora and fauna and how nature is adapting (and not).
Continuing today’s theme of community and civic engagement in the lead up to the 2024 election, VOCES “Latino Vote 2024” explores the priorities and key issues in this important part of the electorate and how both major parties are engaging with the diverse Latino community. The panelists, including producers Andrés Cediel, Tamara Gould, and producer & director Bernardo Ruiz, discussed how they gave voice to different Latino voices across the nation, the growth of the Evangelical Latino community, and how these communities talk about immigration.
We ended our panels on our first day at TCA Press Tour with an eye to the skies as the NOVA team debunked common myths and misunderstandings behind UFOs.
Our panel of experts explained the common taboo against investigating unidentified objects in our skies and how the lack of hard data lead to roadblocks in understanding what is in our airspace. Former military pilot Ryan Graves shared how he felt he needed to come forward to talk about his experiences to make a safe space for other pilots to talk through the things they have seen and Mick West, UFO analyst, discussed how people often crave science-based explanations for what they are seeing. A lively discussion about UFOs led us into great conversations at the reception to close the day.
