Janson Media today announced that it has licensed The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1 x 43′) to Executive Program Services (EPS) for syndication to a number of PBS stations including:

IDAHO PTV
KCSM – San Francisco (San Mateo) CA
KRSC – Tulsa OK
KTCA – Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
KUEN – Salt Lake City UT
KVIE – Sacramento CA
MONTANA PTV
WDSC – Daytona Beach/Orlando FL
WETA – Washington D.C.
WFWA – Ft. Wayne IN

The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic Western about the lives of two of America’s most famous outlaws. Director George Roy Hill, actors Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and writer William Goldman, narrate this film, talking about some of the experiences, both good and bad, of bringing the film to life.Long before the production of “Making of…” documentaries became ubiquitous during film shooting, intended to be used later as DVD Extras, Director George Roy Hill and writer William Goldman had the foresight to film a one of the earliest of this genre, about the making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, one of the most iconic films of the modern era.

Executive Program Services, a major supplier of quality programming to Public Television Stations across the nation, provides a range of services tailored to meet your needs. Headed by two former PBS programming executives, Alan Foster and Dick Hanratty, EPS is uniquely positioned to help producers navigate the challenges of reaching public television audiences.

EPS provides television programming strategies to producers and distributors of content and is equally valuable to the one-time independent producer seeking an audience for a single program or series, as well as the domestic and international program suppliers looking for access to public television stations.

Established in 1989, Janson Media is an independent content distribution company based in the United States, with a rights portfolio of over 1,500 hours of exclusive programming available for licensing to worldwide television, VOD, DVD/video, and emerging new media platforms. The company has licensed programming to virtually every country in the world, and its clients include nearly every major broadcaster or media company, as well as a wide range of DVD labels and distributors. Janson Media is also a publisher/ manufacturer of award-winning DVDs.

Janson Media today announced the release of Seasons 600 (13 x 30′) and 700 (13 x 30′) of its popular baking and cake decorating show Bake Decorate Celebrate! to worldwide Television, VOD, New Media, and Non-Theatric markets. Produced by Wilton, the Telly Award winning is also now available to DVD/Video markets worldwide exclusive of the USA.

Bake Decorate Celebrate! is an exciting television series that features dessert decorating ideas for every occasion, offers practical techniques and inspiration for every occasion. The show combines elements of cooking, lifestyle, and how-to, creating an exciting program guaranteed to appeal to a broad range of viewers. Co-hosts, Nancy Siler and Melanie Glasscock welcome viewers into the Bake Decorate Celebrate! kitchen to show viewers how to create wonderful cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other edible treats that taste just as good as they look.

A different theme is featured weekly including everything from Children’s Birthdays, to homemade Tarts, Cheesecakes and Appetizers. Two feature segments tie each episode together: Decorating Basics provides easy first steps for successful baking; Decorating Tips shows how many beautiful designs using the simplest of tools – a decorating tip and bag. Also, featured is the “Ask Nancy” segment where Nancy expertly answers viewers baking and decorating questions.

Season 600 features exciting themes ranging from Transportation (Planes, Trains and Cars) to Pets, Geometric Designs and Fairies. On Season 700, viewers will find Nancy and Melanie taking it to the next level, combining fashion with dessert, creating 3D cakes and even creating Faux Food Cakes. Seasons 600 and 700 of Bake Decorate Celebrate! will broadcast on public television stations nationwide. To find your local PBS station airing the show please visit the Bake Decorate Celebrate! website.

Wilton helps families celebrate! For 80 years, Wilton has been the industry leader in cake decorating, quality bakeware and food crafting. Wilton is the number one resource for nationally-located decorating classes, proven supplier of professional decorating bakeware and provides step-by-step information online and through its publications to help you make your celebration special with Wilton cakes, cookies, cupcakes and candy.

Janson Media today announced the release of the seventh season of the railroading series Tracks Ahead (14 x 30′) to Worldwide Television, VOD, New Media, Non-Theatric, and DVD/Video markets. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Tracks Ahead is a production of Milwaukee Public Television. Season 7 includes adventurous segments from Japan, the Caribbean, Patagonia, and various cities throughout the United States.

This magazine-style series has a unique appeal for train lovers of all ages, for railroading novices as well as experts, as it explores every aspect of the railroads of the world. Now broadcast on more than 200 PBS stations across America, host Spencer Christian (formerly of ABC’s Good Morning America) presents the best of steam locomotives, railroad stories, model trains and art. “We’re striving for more depth in each episode,” said David Baule, executive producer and director of the series. “The stories will intrigue a variety of viewers, while walking a middle line between technical and general information. Our goal is to capture the excitement and history of railroading. We continue to explore everything involved with it, from model trains and museums to collectors and authors.”

As a public service outreach venture for the Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Public Television serves 2.1 million potential viewers with public and educational television programming. More than 116 hours of programming each day, 365 days a year, are delivered by the unique operation of three, co-located, full power broadcast services. Nearly 1.9 million viewers watch MPTV each week. The Nielsen rating service currently ranks Milwaukee the 33rd largest television market in the nation.

While they may seem under appreciated by some, the treasures of the U.S. National Park system have been set aside by the American people to preserve, protect, and share, the legacies of this land. People from all around the world visit national parks to experience America’s story and marvel at its natural wonders. National Park enthusiasts are in for a special treat this fall with the debut of Filmmaker Ken Burns’ series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Nearly a decade in the making, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is a visual feast, featuring some of the most extensive, breathtaking images of the national parks system every captured on film. The compelling series is sure to give viewers insight on the importance of these land sites’ preservation and protection from destruction. Video clips from the series, which first airs September 27, are available for viewing on PBS’ Web site. In the meantime National Park fans can also enjoy the vivid presentation of the Janson Media program Timeless: A National Parks Odyssey, showcasing David Fortney’s Emmy award-winning cinematography of 18 of North America’s most naturally beautiful landscapes.

Timeless: A National Parks Odyssey is an informative and impressive presentation, for nature lovers and travel enthusiasts. With a mix of aerial, still, and time lapse photography, award winning cinematographer David Fortney has captured some of the most amazing visuals of North American National Parks. Fluid, masterful camera work and aerial photography give viewers the sensation of soaring over and through the landscapes of Joshua Tree, Olympic, Point. Lobos, Redwood, Salt Point, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and more.

Complemented by an exquisitely lush soundtrack composed by new age musician Patrick O’Hearn (available now on Amazon), the film contains breathtaking natural beauty of 18 different National Parks, each with its own unique grace and splendor. Viewers visit Arches, Banff, Bryce, Canyonlands, Death Valley, Denali, Glacier, Grand Teton, Jasper, Joshua Tree, Olympic, Point. Lobos, Redwood, Salt Point, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion and the Grand Canyon. Produced by David Fortney Films, Timeless: A National Parks Odyssey is an informative and impressive presentation, for nature lovers and travel enthusiasts.

This July 4th, PBS stations aired the critically acclaimed, award-winning Janson Media documentary The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America. The comprehensive film tells the story of the Gateway’s conception by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen  and the details of its two and a half year construction. Despite a limited budget and the premature death of Saarinen four years before its completion, The Gateway Arch went on to become not only the most recognizable icon of St. Louis, but an international symbol of the United States (the country’s tallest monument). Viewers that missed the program’s PBS airing can purchase the DVD, now available on amazon.com.

The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America chronicles for the first time the complete story of this great American symbol… from Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and St. Louis’ role in westward expansion; to the eventual construction of the largest stainless steel structure in history. The film is narrated by Academy Award-winner and St. Louis native Kevin Kline and produced by Civil Pictures, producers of the international award-winning documentary The World’s Greatest Fair. Among the documentary’s awards and accolades are 4 Mid America Emmy Awards, 2 International AVA Awards, a Telly Award, Davey Award and a Riverfront Times “Best of St. Louis” Award.

Civil Pictures is a nonprofit company dedicated to preserving history through cinema. Its goal is always to engage, to entertain, to inspire, and, most importantly, to educate a diverse local, national and international audience.

Janson Media today announced the release of the international how-to painting series The Beauty of Oil Painting with Gary and Kathwren Jenkins, to international Television, VOD, New Media, Non-Theatric, and DVD/Video markets.

Husband-and-wife artists Gary and Kathwren Jenkins return to public television after a eight-year hiatus with The Beauty of Oil Painting. In their new series, the veteran hosts of Jenkins Art Studio and Jenkins Art Workshop re-introduce viewers to the art of oil painting from their studio and gallery in Reno, Nevada.

Gary and Kathwren’s shared passion for teaching is evident as the couple calmly and confidently guide viewers step-by-step through the creation of a new painting. In this series, the beauty of the Jenkins’s subjects are captured through the use of brilliant color and specific brush strokes, demonstrated from start to finish by the artists.

A contemporary of Bob Ross, Jenkins started painting on television in 1983 and is the longest active painter to ever appear on television. TV ratings for the series in the Netherlands average am 8.5% market share. In the United States, The Beauty of Oil  Painting is carried by 115 PBS stations across the country, as well as by the Create TV Channel nationwide. In the taping of the 26 new episodes, Jenkins endorses cruelty-free brushes, walnut oil to clean the brushes, and only works with environmentally responsible products.

The Beauty of Oil Painting with Gary and Kathwren Jenkins (52 x 30′) was produced by Farbi Flora, GmbH, of Berlin, Germany, and is now available to international Television, VOD, DVD/Video, Non-Theatric, and New Media markets through Janson Media. Season II of the series (26 x 30′) and the upcoming Season III were filmed in HDTV. Trailers and episodes are available for screening at the Janson Media Screening Room at www.janson.tv. To view The Beauty of Oil Painting in your area please check your local listings.

Farbi Flora is an agency for fine arts, music and artistic design. The company produces a number of television shows, and publishes literature, picture and sound. Based in Berlin, Germany, Farbi Flora prides itself as an educational institution of art.

Janson Media President Stephen Janson was recently interviewed by the media business trade magazine C21 Screenings. As reported in the pressroom at the top of the year, Janson Media acquired a suite with the Media House as a part of the company’s progressive push for digital content distribution. In the profile Janson showcases both the foresight to anticipate market trends and an ability to adapt towards them. Hot topics for programming seem to be Current Affairs, “Green”, and Travel – all genres Janson Media has excelled in over the course of its 20 years in business.  

Full interview by Emily Brookes

New Jersey-based indie distributor Janson Media will celebrate its 20th anniversary at MipTV, and it hasn’t come this far without learning a thing or two about spotting trends. Emily Brookes reports.

After several years of watching slots for acquired, independently produced factual content become fewer, Janson Media CEO Stephen Janson has spied a possible saviour in the unlikely guise of the growing global recession.

“The silver lining in the financial crisis for indie content and cheaper documentary and fact-ent fare might be that broadcasters will need to reduce commissions and coproductions, and expand acquisition slots to make their budgets stretch further,” he speculates.

Hoping for growth in demand as his company enters its second decade, Janson has populated his C21screenings suite with programming that reflects the trends of the last few years, and predicts what might be next. “‘Green’ was the big buzzword at MipTV and Mipcom last year,” Janson begins, meaning that there are a lot of schedulers currently looking for environment- and sustainability-focused programming, but also that a lot of it has entered the market in a short space of time.

Janson Media, therefore, is looking to promote programming that follows the green trend but also stands out from the crowd. A highlight is The New Environmentalists (6×30′), a series of portraits of ordinary people effecting real change on their home turf that is hosted and narrated by Robert Redford (left). That star factor, Janson says, gives the show “instant credibility in a busy field.”

The New Environmentalists is also noteworthy in that it has been developed so that it can be aired either as complete half-hour episodes, as does PBS, or as five-minute interstitials that introduce the activists, which is how they appear on Sundance’s Green block.

Also broadly under the green banner is Harvest Eating With Keith Snow (26×30′), a new series that Janson Media will debut at MipTV later this month. In the series, the eponymous chef shows viewers how to eat healthily and ethically by cooking using locally produced, seasonal produce, encouraging the audience to both be creative in their recipes and to build relationships with local growers, farmers and store clerks.

While environmental programming could get a further boost from the recession as people are encouraged in cost-saving measures like growing their own vegetables or reducing their driving distances, for travel programming, another of Janson Media’s staple genres, it could have an adverse effect as viewers save bucks by staying home.

But Janson isn’t worried. “In my view, the travel category will never go away,” he says. “Whether people travel less or travel more won’t matter – the shows will either work as pre-trip guides or as vicarious experiences for armchair travellers.”

For the armchair explorer, Janson Media’s C21screenings suite offers a glimpse of Indique (left, 6×30′), which aims to capture India as a modern country, less interested in tours of the Taj Mahal and visits to the Ganges than in India’s burgeoning wine-producing regions and its film industry.

Janson’s aims for the series are to get it on to networks like Discovery or National Geographic, but because it’s a hosted show in English it could be difficult to place on a large international scale, he says.

For buyers who shy away from hosted travel series, however, there’s Discoveries: Asia (4×60′), a more conventional series shot in high definition that showcases the beauties and marvels of Japan, China and Korea. “The traditional travelogue is less in demand in places like the UK, America or Canada, where audiences like their hosts, but in terms of re-versioning in other languages, these shows are relatively easy to do with a simple replacement of the narration tracks,” Janson explains.

At C21screenings, prospective buyers can also check out two new travel properties that Janson Media will debut at MipTV. Globeriders Indochina Expedition (36×30′) is a BMW motorbike adventure through the back roads of the Asian continent, while in Travel With Kids (36×30′), the Roberts family – mom, dad and two kids under 10 – head to locations both on and off the tourist track, showing viewers how families can have fun and adventures while still dealing with nap times, temper tantrums and fussy eaters.

Janson Media might know trends, but after 20 years in the biz, it also knows to be prepared. That’s why the company is covering its bases: it recently launched its own web channel at www.janson.tv and has struck content partnerships with the likes of YouTube, Hulu, Blinkx, Vuze and iTunes. The company has also started a consultancy group, bringing the lessons learned in the past two decades to newcomers to the entertainment community.

For more information on Stephen Janson, visit his resume.

Janson Media announced today that its documentary, George Marshall and the American Century will be airing on several PBS stations across the country, including KVIE (Sacramento, CA); Rhode Island PBS; Idaho Public TV; KERA-TV (Dallas, TX), Vegas PBS; Arkansas PTV, and WMVS-TV (Milwaukee, WI).

George Marshall and the American Century features rare historical footage and recordings of Marshall and President Roosevelt and Truman, as well as exclusive interviews with General Matthew B. Ridgway, journalist Eric Sevareid, former Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford and many others. It brings to life the tenacious diplomat and strategist who won battles in both the European theater and on Capitol Hill, and recalls the military leader who recognized the somber legacy of war.

The 90 minute special produced by Great Projects Film Company is voluminous of critical acclaim, boasting an Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming, a CINE Golden Eagle from the council on International Nontheatrical Events and a Silver Apple from the National Educational Film & Video Festival.

“A hugely dramatic chronicle.” – The Wall Street Journal

“A stunningly beautiful story about a great American” – General Colin L. Powell

Check the local listings for George Marshall and the American Century by clicking here.

Janson Media announced today that the third season of Passport To Adventure (filmed in HD) is currently airing on your local PBS station. This season, adventurers Mark Jennings and Julie Conover trek through exciting destinations such as the Magical Country of Wales, Enchanting Natural Norway, Guam, Baja, California and much more. The vivid HD quality episodes serve as helpful expedition guides for those searching for new travel destinations.

In previous seasons of the series, viewers joined world travelers Jennings and Conover as they traveled the world in search of destinations for the adventurous spirit. Passport to Adventure takes you to some of the worlds most intriguing destinations to experience their natural beauty, wildlife and culture. Kayaking in Thailand, trekking in Nepal, cycling in Spain, skiing in Austria and whale watching in Mexico are all part of the journey with Passport To Adventure. Produced by Cinergy Productions, based in in Tahoe, California, the series is available exclusively from Janson Media for worldwide television, DVD/Video and new media licensing.

Passport to Adventure is currently airing on PBS stations across the country. Viewers can contact their local stations to inquire about Passport to Adventure airtimes. Satellite subscribers can consult their channel guide to see which “local” PBS station(s) are available.

Janson Media today announced the release to international television, VOD, and new media markets of the new PBS special, The Practical Power of Yoga.  The program is hosted by Rodney Yee, who is considered one of the foremost yoga masters in the world. In what is his broadcast debut,  Rodney is joined in this lecture/workshop formatted program by his wife Colleen Saidman, herself a highly respected yoga teacher.

Together, Rodney and Colleen take their live audience through a thorough experience of classic yoga theory, philosophies and practice. They teach a variety of poses, and explain the health benefits of each.

The special was taped in High-Definition, in front of an audience ranging from complete yoga novices to experienced students, from young to old. The program provides definitions of yoga, and introduces the most important and basic pose of all: mountain, from which all yoga poses revolve. The standing poses teach grounding and centering, and are rejuvenating as well. Rodney then focuses on the concept of balance, and how to open your heart, one of the greatest benefits of a yoga practice.

In the final portion of the program, Rodney and Colleen focus on the key concept of achieving alert relaxation, the central precept of yoga. Rodney leads the audience through a truly remarkable full-body meditation, and Colleen presents a breathing process that can change your body chemistry and transform your life. This program appeals to anyone who has ever wondered: “what’s all the fuss about yoga?” as well as devoted practitioners and those who have followed Rodney’s teachings over the past 25 years.

The Practical Power of Yoga (1 x 60′, HDTV) was produced by Incandescent Entertainment of Spencer, Massachusetts, and is now available to international television, VOD, and new media markets exclusively through Janson Media. A trailer of the program is available for screening at the Janson Media Screening Room at www.janson.tv.

Incandescent Entertainment Inc. was founded by Dennis Allen. His experience encompasses every aspect of screen media production and broadcast television, particularly the hands-on management of the editorial, financial, production, and distribution needs of television projects, with a focus in public television.