What a Week

This week was a whirlwind of non-stop action. Ok, maybe not quite, but I was busy enough that I didn't get to see the new James Bond movie. I also didn't spend any time in virtual adventures or knitting. Tuesday night was one of the more exciting events rather than just the errands that most of the rest of my time.

Tuesday we went to the Apollo for a seminar put on by the Made in NY program. Made in NY is a program from the mayor's office that is working to provide incentives that keep film and television producing in the city as well as increasing the community awareness and pride for the things that are made here. According to our MC for the evening, there have been some recent productions pretending to be be in New York city but they were actually filmed in places like Canada. The mayor is trying to take those productions back. They also announced a Production Assistant Program that the city is doing. It is a free 4-week training program and at the end there is job placement. Your first job may be asking pedestrians to wait so they don't walk though a shoot, but it would be a great experience for anyone interested. I live in New Jersey so I am not eligible. If you live in the city and are interested in film and television, check it out and let me know what you think.

So what's the longest running television show shot in NYC? No, it is not Law and Order, though at nineteen seasons they certainly have been around for awhile. The winner for longest running, coming in at just under four decades, is Sesame Street. Tuesday's seminar, How to Get to Sesame Street, was a panel discussion with Carol-Lynn Parente (Executive Producer), Dr. Rosemarie Truglio (Vice President, Education and Research), Joey Mazzario (Writer, puppeteer, director, "Murray"), Kevin Clash (Producer, puppeteer, "Elmo"), and Sonia Manzano (Performer, writer, "Maria"). It was moderated by Katherine Oliver (Commissioner, Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting). It was a great event. They talked about the process of making an episode and what a day in the life of each would be like. Elmo even made an appearance before the evening was done. Their unanimous suggestion for how to get to Sesame Street would be via internship. The executive producer herself started with the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) as an intern hauling film canisters.