Media and Politics with Al Franken
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Al Franken…
Rare, Intimate Post-Midterm Election Session with Noted Air America Host; Best-Selling Author and Emmy-Award-Winning Writer and Producer on Media’s Influence on Politics
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) New Media Committee (NMC) and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), presented a rare, post-midterm election session with one of the country’s leading political commentators - the noted Air America host, best-selling author, and Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Al Franken - on Tuesday, November 14th at The Core Club in New York City.
Titled ‘Media and Politics with Al Franken,’ the invitation-only event was an intimate one-on-one session with Franken and Shelly Palmer, managing partner, Advanced Media Ventures, LLC, first vice president of the Advanced Committee of NATAS, New York, and author of the book ‘Television Disrupted.’
Hosted by the PGA NMC New York, with co-chairmen Marc Scarpa and Jeffrey Dachis, ‘Media and Politics with Al Franken’ evaluated the media swirl around the recent mid-term election cycle and the looming 2008 presidential campaign, discussing the media’s embrace of a multi-platform world – from YouTube and interactive television to DVD and mobile alerts – and how politicians from Howard Dean to George Allen have discovered both the upside and downside of an ‘always-on’ new media audience that encompasses everything from campaign messages, fundraising pitches, and – yes – the occasionally damaging remark captured on camera (and uploaded to the Web for the world to view).
“Mastery of the media and – now – new media will shape the mechanics of political operations going forward, and Al Franken has spent a career addressing politics from all angles of the media spectrum,†said Dachis.
Franken discussed and debated the idea of media empowering political candidates and voters as well as creating a potentially new paradigm for political media communications. He also offered insights into how “old†media fits into this context.
“Al is an original voice in the media wilderness; he has always been a fresh and free spirit whose comic insights are infused with deep political convictions,†said Trilby Schreiber, member of the PGA NMC East and a former Harvard classmate of Franken. “We’re extremely fortunate to have Al share his take on the media’s influence on politics at this key juncture in our country’s political discourse.â€
About the PGA NMC
The New Media Council of the Producers Guild of America represents the interests of professional producers using new technology to create and distribute entertainment. The PGA New Media Council is comprised of leaders in every aspect of emerging entertainment including visual & digital effects, DVD, internet, mobile, interactive television, console and PC gaming. The goal of the organization is to enable all storytellers with efficient technologies that empower them to create new and deeper relationships with entertainment consumers.
The event will be videotaped for later webcast by ScribeStudio Productions. Previous events from the PGA NMC East 2005-2006 event series can be accessed in both webcast and podcast format at: producersguild.scribestudio.com. For more information about ScribeStudio Productions, please visit: www.scribestudio.com
For producers of new media, the PGA New Media Council offers education, access and tools to build careers and create quality entertainment. For the producers of film and television, the PGA New Media Council is a resource to gain insight, find talent and drive revenue by leveraging their intellectual property. Visit the PGA Web site at www.producersguild.org for further information.
About The Core Club
The Core Club (www.thecoreclub.com) is an invitation-only community that draws from leaders in the fields of art, architecture, business, entertainment, fashion, media, politics, sports, and technology. TCC explores and presents a dazzling array of entertainment designed to filter out the noise of modern life, present members with the most compelling, transformative and interesting experiences, and deliver culture ahead of the curve.
Al Franken - Writer, Producer, Host, The Al Franken Show
Al Franken is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer, New York Times bestselling author, Grammy-winning comedian, and the host of The Al Franken Show, the flagship program of Air America Radio. In 1975, Franken was part of the original writing staff that created ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Franken remained with the original show until 1980 and then returned in 1985. He stayed for another 10 years, leaving after the 1994-95 season. Franken received four Emmys for writing and a fifth for producing. Franken’s newest book, ‘The Truth (with Jokes)’ debuted at number one on The New York Times bestseller list when it was published in October of 2005. Franken grew up in Minnesota. He has been married to his wife, Franni, for twenty-nine years. They have recently moved back to Minneapolis from New York City and have two children.
A Special thank you to Pete Abel and the Abel CineTech team for the loaner Panasonic HVX high definition camera that we used as a second camera on this shoot.
‘Media and Politics with Al Franken’ was filmed by Scribemedia.Org for the Producers Guild of America New Media Council and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on November 14, 2006.
This article was created by the editors and producers at ScribeMedia.Org.
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