When Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood debuted in 1968, they didn’t just usher in a golden age of puppetry on TV. They also set standards for inclusion and education in children’s programming that the industry is still trying to live up to, decades later. Especially at the studios that launched them.
Developed for Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), Sesame Street paired producers with educators to create programming designed to support and empower young viewers from lower income and underrepresented backgrounds, and populated its Manhattan-inspired set not only with a colorful menagerie of Jim Henson’s Muppets but also a racially diverse human cast.
Meanwhile, Henson’s friend Fred Rogers, the eponymous creator, host, head writer, lead musical composer and chief puppeteer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, leaned on the expertise of child psychologists like his own mentor, Margaret McFarland, to help children navigate their feelings, relationships, self-image and curiosities.
Developed for Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), Sesame Street paired producers with educators to create programming designed to support and empower young viewers from lower income and underrepresented backgrounds, and populated its Manhattan-inspired set not only with a colorful menagerie of Jim Henson’s Muppets but also a racially diverse human cast.
Meanwhile, Henson’s friend Fred Rogers, the eponymous creator, host, head writer, lead musical composer and chief puppeteer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, leaned on the expertise of child psychologists like his own mentor, Margaret McFarland, to help children navigate their feelings, relationships, self-image and curiosities.
- 6/9/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fred Rogers Productions, the nonprofit children’s entertainment producer behind the PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and Peg + Cat, has promoted Ellen Doherty to chief creative officer, a newly-created position.
In her new role, Doherty will oversee an expanding portfolio of children’s content across multiple platforms and manage a growing team of creative professionals. She reports directly to president and CEO Paul Siefken.
“Ellen is a creative dynamo who has done a fantastic job expanding our ‘Neighborhood’ with extraordinary content,” said Siefken. “From her oversight of our award-winning portfolio to exceptional new projects in development, Ellen has been instrumental at every stage of the creative process, and we’ll continue to benefit from her know-how and talent.”
Doherty said being a part of the Frp team “is a true joy. I’m excited about the milestones we’ve achieved with our current series and look forward...
In her new role, Doherty will oversee an expanding portfolio of children’s content across multiple platforms and manage a growing team of creative professionals. She reports directly to president and CEO Paul Siefken.
“Ellen is a creative dynamo who has done a fantastic job expanding our ‘Neighborhood’ with extraordinary content,” said Siefken. “From her oversight of our award-winning portfolio to exceptional new projects in development, Ellen has been instrumental at every stage of the creative process, and we’ll continue to benefit from her know-how and talent.”
Doherty said being a part of the Frp team “is a true joy. I’m excited about the milestones we’ve achieved with our current series and look forward...
- 12/12/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
After joining Fred Rogers Productions in 2016 as executive in charge of production, Ellen Doherty has been promoted to chief creative officer. In the newly created position, she will manage an expanding portfolio of children's content across multiple platforms while supervising a team of creative professionals.
Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, praised Doherty.
"Ellen is a creative dynamo who has done a fantastic job expanding our 'neighborhood' with extraordinary content," said Siefken. "From her oversight of our award-winning portfolio to exceptional new projects in development, Ellen has been instrumental at every ...
Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, praised Doherty.
"Ellen is a creative dynamo who has done a fantastic job expanding our 'neighborhood' with extraordinary content," said Siefken. "From her oversight of our award-winning portfolio to exceptional new projects in development, Ellen has been instrumental at every ...
- 12/12/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Non-profit children’s entertainment outfit Fred Rogers Productions has named Christopher Arnold as its Chief Operating Officer.
As COO, Arnold reports to President and CEO Paul Siefken. He is succeeding long-time company COO Kevin Morrison, who is retiring.
Known for its namesake PBS show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the company was founded in 1971. It has gone on to create the popular PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and Peg + Cat. The behind-the-scenes setting of Mister Rogers Neighborhood is depicted in Sony’s upcoming holiday movie release, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which stars Tom Hanks as Rogers. Arnold previously was General Counsel and VP of Human Resources for Pittsburgh-based Schell Games, a full-service education and entertainment game development firm. At Schell, he was responsible for developing relationships with partners such as The Walt Disney Company, ILMxLAB, The Lego Group, Yale University, Google, and Facebook. He had previous stints at pharmaceutical company Mylan,...
As COO, Arnold reports to President and CEO Paul Siefken. He is succeeding long-time company COO Kevin Morrison, who is retiring.
Known for its namesake PBS show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the company was founded in 1971. It has gone on to create the popular PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and Peg + Cat. The behind-the-scenes setting of Mister Rogers Neighborhood is depicted in Sony’s upcoming holiday movie release, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which stars Tom Hanks as Rogers. Arnold previously was General Counsel and VP of Human Resources for Pittsburgh-based Schell Games, a full-service education and entertainment game development firm. At Schell, he was responsible for developing relationships with partners such as The Walt Disney Company, ILMxLAB, The Lego Group, Yale University, Google, and Facebook. He had previous stints at pharmaceutical company Mylan,...
- 10/2/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s roundup, Netflix releases the official trailer for its original comedy series “Mr. Iglesias,” and Nickelodeon unveils the cast for its “All That” reboot.
Casting
Nickelodeon has announced the cast for its “All That” revival. Ryan Alessi, Reece Caddell, Kate Godfrey, Gabrielle Green, Nathan Janak, Lex Lumpkin and Chinguun Sergelen will star in the reboot, alongside original cast members Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server.
Executive produced by original cast members Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, “All That” premieres on Saturday, June 15. The original “All That” represented Nickelodeon’s longest running live-action series, going 10 seasons from 1994 to 2005.
First Looks
Netflix has dropped the official trailer for its original comedy “Mr. Iglesias,” available to stream on June 21.
Comedian Gabriel Iglesias stars in this classroom romp as a good-natured public high school teacher who works at his alma mater. He takes on teaching gifted but misfit kids to not...
Casting
Nickelodeon has announced the cast for its “All That” revival. Ryan Alessi, Reece Caddell, Kate Godfrey, Gabrielle Green, Nathan Janak, Lex Lumpkin and Chinguun Sergelen will star in the reboot, alongside original cast members Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server.
Executive produced by original cast members Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, “All That” premieres on Saturday, June 15. The original “All That” represented Nickelodeon’s longest running live-action series, going 10 seasons from 1994 to 2005.
First Looks
Netflix has dropped the official trailer for its original comedy “Mr. Iglesias,” available to stream on June 21.
Comedian Gabriel Iglesias stars in this classroom romp as a good-natured public high school teacher who works at his alma mater. He takes on teaching gifted but misfit kids to not...
- 5/29/2019
- by Dano Nissen
- Variety Film + TV
The Fred Rogers Company, the children’s entertainment company founded by kid-tv pioneer Fred Rogers is tweaking its name to reflect a growing neighborhood of series under its aegis.
The company will be known as Fred Rogers Productions and a will use a refurbished logo featuring Daniel Tiger, a character from one of its flagship series.
The Pittsburgh-based company oversees “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Peg + Cat” and “Odd Squad” along with apps, games and other properties. The rebrand was put into place with The Possibility Shop and Sji Associates.
“The name change helps position us for continued growth in all areas of children’s entertainment production, while reflecting the company’s deep roots in social-emotional learning and our iconic namesake,” said Paul Siefken, President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, in a statement. “We remain committed to inspiring a lifetime of learning in children and to earning the trust of...
The company will be known as Fred Rogers Productions and a will use a refurbished logo featuring Daniel Tiger, a character from one of its flagship series.
The Pittsburgh-based company oversees “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Peg + Cat” and “Odd Squad” along with apps, games and other properties. The rebrand was put into place with The Possibility Shop and Sji Associates.
“The name change helps position us for continued growth in all areas of children’s entertainment production, while reflecting the company’s deep roots in social-emotional learning and our iconic namesake,” said Paul Siefken, President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, in a statement. “We remain committed to inspiring a lifetime of learning in children and to earning the trust of...
- 5/7/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
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