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press resources
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Clear Blue Sky Productions and WGBH/Nova Science Unit to Co-Produce First American Series on Evolution
Former Disney SVP Richard Hutton Tapped to Serve as Executive Producer
Wednesday, March 24, 1999
BOSTON & SEATTLE – March 24, 1999 – Etching its mark in history as one of the most important and dramatic intellectual revolutions of the millennium, evolution is also one of science’s most controversial subjects. WGBH and Clear Blue Sky Productions today announced they will partner to examine the long-debated, and sometimes misunderstood, topic of evolution in an eight-hour documentary series, intended for broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2001. The series will mark Clear Blue Sky Productions’ first television project, on the heels of several feature and documentary film projects.
One hundred seventeen years after the death of Charles Darwin, seventy-four years after the Scopes monkey trial and twelve years after the Supreme Court struck down laws requiring equal time for creationist science and evolution, the debate is still alive and well. EVOLUTION the series will examine the evidence for and implications of the controversial theory that underlies all life sciences, by exploring the voyage of discovery that led Darwin to his theory of natural selection; advances in genetics and molecular biology that have helped confirmed his theory; and, evolution’s implications for better understanding human origins and behavior.
Leading the development of the series as executive producer will be Richard Hutton, former senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, who brings a wealth of experience as an accomplished science writer and producer, as well as an extensive background in public television.
In addition to the broadcast series, EVOLUTION will include a companion book, a dynamic Web site, and an unprecedented outreach plan designed to give teachers a one-of-a-kind “toolkit” of materials that explore the theory of, and misconceptions about, evolution.
“One cannot understand the nature of life on earth unless one understands the theory of evolution,” said Richard Hutton, the series’ executive producer. “Science has made tremendous strides since the early 19th century, but we’re still grappling with Darwin’s theory, and that, by itself, is an important reason to address this topic. By doing so we hope to not only narrow the gap between science and the public, but to also inspire viewers with the same sense of wonder that motivated Charles Darwin.”
About Clear Blue Sky Productions
Clear Blue Sky Productions is the independent film production company founded by new media investor Paul G. Allen in 1997. Under the direction of president and executive producer Jody Patton, CBSP originates, develops and funds creative and artistically driven films. The company’s first projects included INSPIRATIONS, a documentary about creativity in the arts by award-winning director Michael Apted, MEN WITH GUNS, the latest feature by John Sayles, and TITUS, the first feature film by acclaimed director Julie Taymor, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. Currently in production is a sequel to Inspirations, this time a documentary about creativity in the sciences, also directed by Apted. Visit Clear Blue Sky Productions on the Web at clearblueskyfilms.com.
About WGBH Boston
WGBH Boston is a national leader in public broadcasting and educational telecommunications. It produces a significant portion of the PBS prime-time lineup, including program favorites such as NOVA, Frontline, The American Experience and Mobil Masterpiece Theatre. WGBH also develops new applications in educational technology, interactive media and print teaching tools. Since its establishment in 1951, the Boston-based programmer has been honored with numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards, Ohio State and DuPont Columbia Awards, and two Oscars.
The director of WGBH’s science unit and executive producer of NOVA is Paula S. Apsell. Science Unit productions have included the highly-acclaimed 10-hour series A Science Odyssey with Charles Osgood, originally broadcast in January 1998. The series chronicled the people, breakthroughs and social forces that have made this century the most dynamic 100 years in the history of science and technology. Other productions include Wild Europe (May 1999), and Secret of Life, among others.
About Richard Hutton
Richard Hutton joins the project with a wide spectrum of experience. Not only was he instrumental in the production of nationally acclaimed television programs, but he has also written nine books and numerous articles for national publications.
Formerly with the Walt Disney Company, Hutton was most recently senior vice president of creative development for Walt Disney Imagineering, and previously vice president of Disney Development Company and general manager of the Disney Institute.
Familiar with public television, Hutton has spent time at both WETA in Washington, D.C. as senior vice president, television programming/production, and as director of public affairs programming at WNET in New York. While at WNET, he was instrumental in developing and producing the award-winning programs The Brain and The Mind, which investigated the roots and nature of human behavior. The programs were awarded two Emmys, the DuPont Columbia, George Foster Peabody, and Ohio State Awards, and gold medals at the American and New York Film Festivals.
| Contact Information |
WGBH Boston/NOVA
Kristin Daroff, x5323
Paul Marotta, x4427
Clear Blue Sky Productions
Jason J. Hunke,
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