NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today AOL, a premier digital media company, and PBS, the nation�s
largest non-commercial media organization, are launching �MAKERS: Women
Who Make America,� an unprecedented digital video and broadcast
initiative. Produced by filmmakers, the multi-platform initiative aims
to become not only the largest but also the most dynamic collection of
women�s stories ever assembled.
“Partnering together to bring MAKERS to life is exactly the type of
future-forward programming we believe in.”
MAKERS originated from a very clear premise: over the last half century,
the work of millions of women has altered virtually every aspect of
American culture. The MAKERS platform tells the story of these
exceptional women � both famous and heretofore unknown individuals �
whose pioneering contributions continue to shape the world in which we
live.
MAKERS profiles Supreme Court Justices, Secretaries of State and CEOs.
They are athletes, activists and entertainers. They are groundbreakers
who have sparked change, been firsts-in-their-fields, and paved the way
for those who followed. The richness of the MAKERS initiative extends
beyond profiling these incredible groundbreakers to tell the stories of
hundreds of women who are driving and realizing social change today.
MAKERS draws on the archival and narrative possibilities of a digital
video experience to create a new way to explore these women�s stories
and highlight a new generation of women whose impact is just beginning
to be felt and understood.
�AOL wants to be known for groundbreaking firsts in the digital media
industry, and we are thrilled to be partnering with PBS as they stand
alone in their unparalleled ability to educate the world on the most
important movements of our time,� said Tim Armstrong, Chairman & CEO of
AOL. �Partnering together to bring MAKERS to life is exactly the type of
future-forward programming we believe in.�
�By spotlighting some of the most inspirational women in our nation�s
history, MAKERS will tell the comprehensive story of how women have
advanced in America during the last half century. I hope that the MAKERS
project will become the seminal record of women�s achievement, and
inspire a new generation of leaders,� said Paula A. Kerger, President
and CEO of PBS. �PBS and our member stations are proud to support this
celebration and dialogue about the role of women in our society.�
MAKERS begins today at MAKERS.com.
The site is an AOL-developed interactive video platform, presented by
Simple, a new line of facial skincare products, featuring original
content edited and curated by the filmmakers. PBS will also launch a
companion site at pbs.org/MAKERS, featuring select MAKERS stories and
information on the upcoming documentary.
MAKERS is optimized for viewing across every mobile device, including an
innovative iPad app that offers a unique video-viewing experience. The
stories will be expanded weekly, ultimately bringing hundreds of
inspiring women to the public throughout 2012 and beyond.
�MAKERS is a vivid and evolving living library containing hundreds of
original interviews that we know will inspire people everywhere,� said
Maureen Sullivan, CMO of AOL. �MAKERS.com was built to utilize the
latest innovation in video and mobile technology and enables users to
individually curate and discover the stories of these women.�
"We're honored to be a part of this initiative and celebrate these
incredible women who have made such a tremendous impact," said Alison
Clark, Brand Building Director, Unilever US, Skincare. "When we first
heard the stories of these amazing women, it just felt right for Simple
to be a proud supporter of MAKERS. As a new line of facial skincare
products in the U.S., we look to engage with women and salute those
whose authenticity, ideals, and pioneering spirit have inspired us to
endeavor to have the same impact."
As MAKERS.com grows and expands its content and community throughout
2012, the premiere on PBS in 2013 of a 3-hour documentary will extend
that audience even further. The documentary, �MAKERS: Women Who Make
America,� will tell the story of the Women�s Movement over the last half
century.
In addition to the digital video platform and broadcast, PBS will
utilize its broad community and grassroots networks to draw the American
public into an ongoing conversation about MAKERS and how women transform
all aspects of our country and our world today. The project producers
are working with PBS member station WETA Washington, D.C., the flagship
public broadcaster in the nation�s capital, to develop the project.
Public television stations across the country will create local
initiatives designed to spark reflection and debate on the driving
creative force of American women. This outreach will include major
partnerships with local PBS stations and women and girl empowerment
groups.
�It�s exciting to be going after a massive story in a new and
wonderfully fine-grained way,� said filmmaker Dyllan McGee, the founder
of MAKERS. �My partners, Betsy West and Peter Kunhardt, and I realized
there was a need to track and preserve the story of how individuals
transform a culture � something that hasn�t been done before on this
scale.�Our hope is that the new combination of an expanding digital
platform rolled out over time, along with a major PBS television
broadcast, will ignite sustained dialogue. It�s about how far women have
come and where we need to go in the future.�
The world-class women who have supported this project and are featured
in the MAKERS platform are the foundation of the MAKERS community that
will grow and expand to a global audience.
Visit MAKERS.com
to look for stories from MAKERS including Linda Alvarado, Brenda
Berkman, Judy Blume, Carol Burnett, Ursula Burns, Hillary Rodham
Clinton, Katie Couric, Ellen DeGeneres, Geraldine Ferraro, Theresa Kane,
Billie Jean King, Maya Lin, Susan Love, Marissa Mayer, Robin Morgan,
Sandra Day O�Connor, Maria Pepe, Michelle Rhee, Condoleezza Rice, Faith
Ringgold, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Zainab Salbi, Sheryl Sandberg, Phyllis
Schlafly, Barbara Smith, Gloria Steinem, Martha Stewart, Kathrine
Switzer, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Barbara Walters.
�MAKERS celebrates women�s achievement and I�m flattered to be included
in this amazing group of women,� said Ellen DeGeneres. �I hope that my
story and the stories from other MAKERS will inspire new generations of
women to use their talents to create positive change.�
�Women�s progress has been a collective effort,� said Gloria Steinem, a
contributor to MAKERS. �I am thrilled we will now have a dynamic
resource that will chart how far we have come and how far we need to go
in the future.�
The project is founded by filmmaker Dyllan McGee. Executive Producers
are Dyllan McGee, Betsy West and Peter Kunhardt, who worked in
consultation with a team of advisors to select the groundbreaking MAKERS
featured, and Dalton Delan, Executive Producer for WETA. The documentary
is produced by Kunhardt McGee Productions, Storyville Films and WETA
Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media. Foundation funding is
provided by The Charles H. Revson Foundation, NoVo Foundation, Ford
Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Carnegie Corporation
of New York, The Rice Family Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation
and others.
