thedrifter
08-25-07, 09:18 AM
Posted on Sat, Aug. 25, 2007
State College producer wins Emmy for work on PBS show
By Jill Gleeson | For The CDT
When John Grant, of State College, won his first Emmy award in June, the executive producer of PBS' "Reading Rainbow" couldn't make it to Los Angeles to accept the statue.
"I wish I could have gone," Grant says, "but I had made a commitment to my wife months ago. She's a huge Tiger Woods fan, and I had bought tickets to the U.S. Open that weekend and didn't want to disappoint her."
The acclaim is nice -- very nice -- but his family comes before career, he said. That family includes Joan, his wife, and his son, Andy.
Grant won for his work on "Reading Rainbow," a critically acclaimed show that for 20 years has sought to instill in children an appreciation of reading. Used by more teachers than any other PBS program, it is produced by Buffalo's WNED-TV, where Grant serves as executive producer and chief program officer.
While Grant says he is "proud of the show," he also calls it "a bit of an aberration in my career."
"I've made most of my career producing long-form documentary programs," he said. "Winning the Emmy does kind of shine a spotlight, professionally, on you a little bit, and it is extremely exciting, because it's an acknowledgement from your peers. But I hope someday to win an Emmy for one of my own personal projects."
Those personal projects, which Grant frequently writes, directs and produces (he often works with Bellefonte-based editor Greg Feinberg), are usually the result of partnerships between his company, Driftwood Productions, which he runs out of his home office, and either WNED or Oregon Public Broadcasting, where he is a production consultant.
He has produced more than 40 hours of documentary programs for national broadcast on PBS, including "Legendary Lighthouses," "West Point: The First 200 Years," "Window to the Sea" and "America's Houses of Worship."
"I'm one of those producers who loves everything he's ever done," Grant says with a grin. "They're like children -- sometimes you wish they'd grown up better, but you've gotta love them anyhow!"
The show he feels most strongly about is his most recent production, "The Marines," a 90-minute HDTV special exploring the history and culture of the elite combat corps.
"It was a very complicated subject, and I just felt we kind of got it right," Grant says. "The thing that made me feel really good was that it got some nice reviews, and the Marines liked it. I'm not necessarily a militaristic person, but it's good to have the Marines like you."
Grant grew up in Ellwood City, a small Pennsylvania town near the Ohio border. His father was the assistant manager of a local radio station, and by 14, he was working at the station, eventually doing color commentary and play-by-play announcing at local high school and college sporting events.
"I never really had much of a choice to make in terms of career, because it almost seemed pre-ordained," he said.
He spent two years at Penn State's Beaver campus before coming to University Park in 1970. He was pursuing his broadcast journalism degree when Uncle Sam came knocking; Grant spent six years in the reserves, never finding the time to complete his degree.
After a stint working at WRSC, he went to work for Fran Fisher in 1974, at Penn State's Division of Broadcasting, producing educational radio shows. He would spend 16 years at the university, the last four as WPSX's general manager.
For about a decade, until he became head of WPSX, Grant put his dulcet tones to good use as a color analyst and play-by-play announcer on the Penn State Football and Basketball Radio Networks.
"It was great fun," Grant says. "It was always an avocation, nothing I ever saw myself doing seriously, but certainly in a town like this, it's a way to get recognized rather quickly."
In 1990, Grant took over as senior vice president of programming at PBS in Alexandria, Va. He created the PBS primetime schedule, commissioned and funded national programs and oversaw the day-to-day management of PBS.
He counts as among his achievements the negotiation of the deal that allowed PBS and NBC to collaborate on their presidential convention coverage and the funding of the children's series "Shining Time Station," "Lamp Chop" (the last Shari Lewis show) and "Barney and Friends."
"I was the first person to give funding to 'Barney and Friends,' " Grant says, with typical humor, "which is either good or bad, depending on how you look at it."
After five years, Grant left PBS to produce his own documentaries; in 2001, eager to leave city life behind and move closer to friends and family, he and Joan came back to State College, joining Andy, who had just started attending Penn State.
At 59, Grant shows no signs of slowing down. He has two projects in production, "The Adirondacks," and "More Great Lodges of the National Parks," and a number in development. (He's also eager to work again with Andy, who served as an associate producer on "The Marines" and is now working for WPSU).
He spends a few days every other week in Buffalo, attending to his duties at WNED, and he has somehow found time to write seven companion books to his shows, including "Staying at a Lighthouse," "Niagara Falls: An Intimate Portrait" and "Great American Rail Journeys."
Grant admits "producing kind of sucks your brain dry, because it's always about structuring stories more than anything. You have to figure out how to be a storyteller, and some days it really gives you headaches."
Yet, he said, "It's a great way to make a living if you can be successful. There are a lot of people who struggle at it, but I've been very lucky. It's been fun."
Ellie
State College producer wins Emmy for work on PBS show
By Jill Gleeson | For The CDT
When John Grant, of State College, won his first Emmy award in June, the executive producer of PBS' "Reading Rainbow" couldn't make it to Los Angeles to accept the statue.
"I wish I could have gone," Grant says, "but I had made a commitment to my wife months ago. She's a huge Tiger Woods fan, and I had bought tickets to the U.S. Open that weekend and didn't want to disappoint her."
The acclaim is nice -- very nice -- but his family comes before career, he said. That family includes Joan, his wife, and his son, Andy.
Grant won for his work on "Reading Rainbow," a critically acclaimed show that for 20 years has sought to instill in children an appreciation of reading. Used by more teachers than any other PBS program, it is produced by Buffalo's WNED-TV, where Grant serves as executive producer and chief program officer.
While Grant says he is "proud of the show," he also calls it "a bit of an aberration in my career."
"I've made most of my career producing long-form documentary programs," he said. "Winning the Emmy does kind of shine a spotlight, professionally, on you a little bit, and it is extremely exciting, because it's an acknowledgement from your peers. But I hope someday to win an Emmy for one of my own personal projects."
Those personal projects, which Grant frequently writes, directs and produces (he often works with Bellefonte-based editor Greg Feinberg), are usually the result of partnerships between his company, Driftwood Productions, which he runs out of his home office, and either WNED or Oregon Public Broadcasting, where he is a production consultant.
He has produced more than 40 hours of documentary programs for national broadcast on PBS, including "Legendary Lighthouses," "West Point: The First 200 Years," "Window to the Sea" and "America's Houses of Worship."
"I'm one of those producers who loves everything he's ever done," Grant says with a grin. "They're like children -- sometimes you wish they'd grown up better, but you've gotta love them anyhow!"
The show he feels most strongly about is his most recent production, "The Marines," a 90-minute HDTV special exploring the history and culture of the elite combat corps.
"It was a very complicated subject, and I just felt we kind of got it right," Grant says. "The thing that made me feel really good was that it got some nice reviews, and the Marines liked it. I'm not necessarily a militaristic person, but it's good to have the Marines like you."
Grant grew up in Ellwood City, a small Pennsylvania town near the Ohio border. His father was the assistant manager of a local radio station, and by 14, he was working at the station, eventually doing color commentary and play-by-play announcing at local high school and college sporting events.
"I never really had much of a choice to make in terms of career, because it almost seemed pre-ordained," he said.
He spent two years at Penn State's Beaver campus before coming to University Park in 1970. He was pursuing his broadcast journalism degree when Uncle Sam came knocking; Grant spent six years in the reserves, never finding the time to complete his degree.
After a stint working at WRSC, he went to work for Fran Fisher in 1974, at Penn State's Division of Broadcasting, producing educational radio shows. He would spend 16 years at the university, the last four as WPSX's general manager.
For about a decade, until he became head of WPSX, Grant put his dulcet tones to good use as a color analyst and play-by-play announcer on the Penn State Football and Basketball Radio Networks.
"It was great fun," Grant says. "It was always an avocation, nothing I ever saw myself doing seriously, but certainly in a town like this, it's a way to get recognized rather quickly."
In 1990, Grant took over as senior vice president of programming at PBS in Alexandria, Va. He created the PBS primetime schedule, commissioned and funded national programs and oversaw the day-to-day management of PBS.
He counts as among his achievements the negotiation of the deal that allowed PBS and NBC to collaborate on their presidential convention coverage and the funding of the children's series "Shining Time Station," "Lamp Chop" (the last Shari Lewis show) and "Barney and Friends."
"I was the first person to give funding to 'Barney and Friends,' " Grant says, with typical humor, "which is either good or bad, depending on how you look at it."
After five years, Grant left PBS to produce his own documentaries; in 2001, eager to leave city life behind and move closer to friends and family, he and Joan came back to State College, joining Andy, who had just started attending Penn State.
At 59, Grant shows no signs of slowing down. He has two projects in production, "The Adirondacks," and "More Great Lodges of the National Parks," and a number in development. (He's also eager to work again with Andy, who served as an associate producer on "The Marines" and is now working for WPSU).
He spends a few days every other week in Buffalo, attending to his duties at WNED, and he has somehow found time to write seven companion books to his shows, including "Staying at a Lighthouse," "Niagara Falls: An Intimate Portrait" and "Great American Rail Journeys."
Grant admits "producing kind of sucks your brain dry, because it's always about structuring stories more than anything. You have to figure out how to be a storyteller, and some days it really gives you headaches."
Yet, he said, "It's a great way to make a living if you can be successful. There are a lot of people who struggle at it, but I've been very lucky. It's been fun."
Ellie