MORE SHOWS
The DNA Files: Paper Scrapers
Fingerprint secrets of ancient books & letters.
1st episode: The Thomas Jefferson Papers
Jefferson’s secret affair with his slave Sally Hemings was finally confirmed through DNA. Now, using new DNA technology, we can look through the pages of his books & letters to uncover the scope of their relationship. How many books in his Library did she read? or Hold? Did he encourage her to read the Bible? How well-read was she? How deep was their relationship--did they read together? DNA secrets on paper can reveal much more about interpersonal relationships [think: Tommy Lee Jones & S. Epatha Merkerson in Spielberg’s Lincoln]. And that is just the beginning…
Fast Forward Future (WT)
KOYAANISQATSI meets Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life & we get a glimpse of life like the Last of Us if there were mushroom people, but no topic is taboo. From health care to climate, cheap clothing to birth rates. Stats & science fuel the futuristic outcomes of the keeping to the current track/s. (WIP)
Other Powers
The true story of why women didn't get the vote in 1871
Adapted from the book by Barbara Goldsmith
Encompasses the 1st #MeToo Movement, the Civil War, civil rights, orgies & sex scandals, The Gilded Age, Suffrage, psychic phenomena, Emancipation, Wall Street corruption, religious corruption…not necessarily in that order.
The 19th c. Harvey Weinstein & Jeffrey Epstein; other celebs include Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, Ulysses S. & Julia Grant, Cornelis Vanderbilt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, … and Victoria Woodhull, the 1st woman to run for President.
Birds-eye view: a drone flies around NYC circling the Empire State Building down towards Wall Street, then back to midtown, all the while subtly reversing time. Swoops down to the Cornelius Vanderbilt statue fronting Grand Central Station, SFX cracking—the statue starts to come apart & the man emerges to walk down the sidewalk; drone continues to Frederick Douglass statue, cracking, he steps out of the statue onto the street, into Central Park where Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony crack out of their statues onto the pavement; swoops over the Brooklyn Bridge to Henry Ward Beecher statue, SFX crack as he walks to his pulpit; then the drone moves faster, across the Atlantic to Tewksbury Cathedral where Victoria Woodhull cracks out of her cenotaph & flies like the figurehead of a ship across the ocean, alights in NYC—drone pulls back to reveal all these tiny figures walking towards each other to the explosive center.
She's Got Your Back
Ever more attention is being paid to the many women standing in the corners of history who've been trailblazers, thought-leaders, & game-changers -- but haven't gotten credit for their contributions. She's Got Your Back is a quick 5-10 minute (each) video series on the myriad women who provide precedent, support & an anchor, allowing women today to make their way in the world now & feel more comfortable amplifying their own voice!
Did you know?
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Alice Guy-Blache started the whole film studio system, she also experimented with color, sound & diversity casting... in 1910!
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Ada Lovelace is gaining fame, finally, as a proto-techie--a math whiz & early computer geek known for her work on the Analytical Engine aka Charles Babbage's mechanical general-purpose computer (also Lord Byron's daughter)!
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Anna Rüling made a speech to the 1st LGBT rights organization when the German penal code outlawed male homosexuality, & European society condemned gay relationships. She was the 1st to advocate for social acceptance & legal protection for gay women — making her the 1st lesbian feminist activist.
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Roxcy Bolton was a ground-breaking feminist, leading the way in America for equal rights for women in the 20th century. Among many things, she lead the nation's first march against rape, and founded the country's first rape treatment center in Miami, Florida.
WRONGED!
Injustice in America: reenactments of the many wrongful arrests & other legal proceedings in the USA. Like COPS but weighted toward the common wo/man wrongfully accused. From Imani Perry to Eric Garner to...
So You Think You Can... Dance with the Tudor Stars?!
Channeling the devotion to Game of Thrones and the endless passion for all things Tudors, this show brings to life the little-known & absolutely fascinating social & cultural dances of the time. The challenges of incredibly athletic & sexy dances like the Volta will startle viewers and those naive and gullible enough to think they can do these dances easily! Who's up to the challenge?
Passions (or, Do You Deserve an Honorary PhD?)
So many people devote their lives & resources, both economic and time-wise, to personal passions that go way beyond the hobbist. From deep-sea divers to astronomy to archaeology, and these amateurs (which means "love of" something) have often come up with more interesting finds & groundbreaking discoveries than the professionals. Since this is the Warholian dystopia of 15-minute fame, why not focus on the people who are doing amazing things just out of sheer love?!
“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” - Mozart
Who Are You Made Of?
Splice of Who Do You Think You Are? and Role Model (a show that doesn’t exist but should, because it’s what in essence we look to historical figures for).
We ask famous wo/men -- such as Oprah, Madeleine Albright, Jay-Z & Beyonce -- who they think influenced who they have become. Team includes writer/historians (& maybe psychologists) to assist in determining who made up the person because 1. We can include more people, & 2. Most folks aren't fully aware of all the influences coursing through them... or the shoulders on which they stand.
Series: 10 to 12 episodes, but doesn’t necessarily mean 10 to 12 puzzle pieces going into making one wo/man. It could be 4 or 5 for each person. So 3 to 4 sets per season. One of the things that keeps the viewer coming back is to see WHO the puzzle pieces become.
CUBA ON THE CUSP
Catherine Murphy is anchor/ host, introducing the world to Cuba. (She snuck into the country at 21 & knows every nook & cranny of the island & how it works)
Cuba is on the cusp of Big Change; while good in many ways, also very precarious. That’s where the tension and the traction lies [straight-up travel shows are losing their attraction]. Vicarious is out, experiential is in. Everybody has an opinion & they want to voice it, be included.
The danger with Cuba? The 'wrong' people could get their initiatives pushed through without forward thinking. [Much like St. Martin: that island has a split personality--e Dutch/American on one side & French on the other. The “Dutch” side is all burgers/fries/ billboards/ casinos/commercial trash, awful; the French side is lovely, serene, more preserved and natural; champagne and fois gras on the beach].
Each show has Catherine as the outside-insider, Plus 2 guest hosts. One facet of Cuba is chosen: cross country train, the beach, coral reefs, plantations, Havana & other cities, building/s, the school system, the medical situation, transportation--there’s a long list of possible focii & possible change. The 2 other temp. “hosts” are: local expert & outside expert, such as a developer, an oceanographer, etc.
Each presents their case: their opinion/ expertise on the best way forward for the topic-at-hand. The discussion winnows to 3 options: Leave as Is; Restoration to Former Glory; Modernize/Update.
Cuba has been a sort of incubator, like a baby shielded from the ‘real’ world--now everyone wants to pounce on it to shape its ‘personality’, control its growth vs. letting it develop organically. How do we care for and protect it from “growing up too fast”, retain its natural charm & personality, but also bring it into the 21st century? Things are dangerously careening towards exploitation.
At the end of the show, the audience votes, much like American Idol, but it also has the appeal of HGTV/house remodeling shows. Inc. a sense of responsibility & nostalgia, midwifery and custodian/protector.