PBS Kids Represent: TCA Press Tour

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Pasadena, CA to be a part of PBS’s TCA Winter Press Tour.  It was a two day adventure that included interviews with press and bloggers, a Fizzy’s Lunch Lab behind-the-scenes interview with Angela Santomero for an upcoming PBS web-series , as well as a PBS Kids panel about new media, technology, and education.

While the event was a blast, the highlight was a casual dinner with Lisa Henson, her husband Dave Pressler, Angela Santomero, Shelley Pasnik, and PBS’s Lesli Rotenberg.  We talked about everything from children’s media to documentary films to the rapid evolution of technology.  It was so inspiring and fun to connect with everyone in such an informal setting.  It was especially cool to meet Dave Pressler who is currently producing his first show for Nickelodeon, Robot and Monster. He and I geeked out about William Joyce, Annoying Orange, and Saturday morning cartoons–A treat to say the least.

After the hoopla ended, I reflected on the experience and I was able to take away one main theme: it’s the people that matter.  Getting the chance to connect with everyone from PBS (and beyond) was such a treat.  We’re all in different stages in our career, but we were able to connect around creating meaningful and responsible stories for kids and families.  It was encouraging and inspiring.

-Dave