Making its debut in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008, "Spotlight!" is a ground-breaking new television series designed to acknowledge and applaud the efforts of talented high school producers, directors, editors and writers. Aspiring young movie-makers will be interviewed and encouraged to continue their studies in college.
Each locally-produced episode of "Spotlight!" will showcase the work of two local students, whose movies will be broadcast throughout the Bay Area. Additionally, each program will include an interview of a film or television guest expert, an industry professional who will provide insights and support by encouraging persistence, commitment and education. Watch for "Spotlight!" on KCSM in 2008!
PRESS RELEASE
Award-Winning Host Selected for Spotlight!
Contact: Katherine Russell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(650) 524-6969
SAN MATEO, CA - Angie Coiro has been selected by KCSM-TV to host Spotlight!, the public television station's upcoming new series about high school movie-makers.
Bay Area audiences know Angie from her fifteen years on KQED Public Radio, where she began as an announcer and traffic reporter, and later hosted Friday Forum. She also hosted Mother Jones Radio, broadcast nationally on Air America Radio. Live on-stage interview subjects have included Mike Wallace, Tony Kushner, Janeane Garafalo, and Martin Short. Her radio interview with writer Salman Rushdie won the national Public Radio News Directors Award as the best on local public radio.
Slated to premiere on KCSM this summer, Spotlight! is a five-part series intended to promote and support the work of high school film-makers.
“We are very excited to welcome Angie Coiro to our team”, said Katherine Russell, producer/director of Spotlight! “Her interviewing style and personality will be great assets to the show.”
“ Spotlight! is a smart, important series,” said Angie. “Movies are one of my greatest passions, and it's intriguing to meet the new generation of film-makers. Viewers will be surprised and impressed with what we learn from them.”
With a lifelong interest in film history, Angie is also assistant curator and host of an ongoing classic movie series at Montalvo Arts in Saratoga.
KCSM encourages aspiring movie-makers at all Bay Area high schools to enter the Spotlight! video production contest. Students will have a chance to win awards and scholarships to study at the College of San Mateo. Winning entries will be announced at a gala event to be held in June 2008. Interviews with the students, along with their winning entries, will be broadcast on KCSM as part of the Spotlight! public television series.
DANTE BETTEO
Executive Producer
With over 25 years of media experience, Dante Betteo oversees all productions at KCSM-TV, including documentaries, public affairs programs, election specials and the first real-time interactive telecourse in the US.
Under his leadership, KCSM-TV has successfully developed new revenue streams by distributing locally produced programs to domestic and international markets.
Prior to KCSM, Dante was News Director at KSTS-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area where he managed all news operations and three other Telemundo stations in Northern California. In addition, Dante has published two Spanish language weekly newspapers and directed news operations at KDTV. He is a graduate of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
KATHERINE RUSSELL
Senior Producer/Director
Katherine Russell has over 25 years experience in television production. Her credits include documentary and town hall meeting productions, dramatic and musical performance, corporate videoconferencing, audience participation talk and variety programs, and hundreds of episodes of culinary television airing nationally and internationally.
Many of Katherine's productions have garnered prestigious awards, including the Peabody, national and local Emmy Awards, Best of the West and James Beard Awards.
Katherine is a cum laude graduate of Columbia University in New York City.
For more information about Spotlight! KCSM's annual high school film-making festival, go to www.kcsm.org/spotlight .
KCSM-TV and FM, licensed to the San Mateo County Community College District, are full service public television and radio stations and serve as learning laboratories for students enrolled in the College of San Mateo Broadcasting Arts Department. KCSM-TV is a member of PBS. Its early morning and day programming consist entirely of college-level telecourses. Prime time and weekend hours are devoted to PBS and locally-produced programs. KCSM's 250k watt broadcast signal reaches the entire Bay Area and is carried on 60 cable systems. Nearly half a million viewers tune in to KCSM-TV each week.