November 5, 2008 - On Tuesday, November 18, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, in conjunction with the Apollo Theater Foundation, Sesame Workshop, and the Center for Communication, will present “Sesame Street: Made in NY” at the world famous Apollo Theater. This panel discussion will feature the creative team behind television’s longest running children’s program as they discuss their experiences producing “Sesame Street” in New York City. The panel is free of charge and is presented in collaboration with Career Day at the Apollo, part of the Apollo Theater’s Education & Community Outreach Program.

“Sesame Street: Made in NY” will provide students and interested New Yorkers with first-hand accounts of what goes into creating the beloved children’s series including the development of the series’ educational curriculum and the secrets to forty years of success. The discussion will be moderated by Commissioner Katherine Oliver with a Q&A session to follow. Panelists include:

Carol-Lynn Parente – Executive producer, Emmy-award winner

Dr. Rosemarie Truglio – Vice President of Education and Research

Joey Mazzarino – Emmy-winning writer, puppeteer, director

Kevin Clash – Performer for Elmo, Emmy-winning performer, producer and director

Sonia Manzano – Performer for Maria, Emmy-winning writer

“Our local entertainment production industry employs 100,000 New Yorkers and contributes $5 billion to our economy each year,” Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting said. “As we attract new production business to the City and create new jobs through the ‘Made in NY’ incentive program, we are working to ensure that a diverse group of New Yorkers have access to these positions, through programs such as this panel and our ‘Made in NY’ Production Assistant Training Program - a series of free, full-time, month-long training programs developed with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations.”

The panel begins at 6:30pm. Doors open at 6pm. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. RSVP to message@film.nyc.gov by Friday, November 14th. This event is presented in collaboration with Career Day at the Apollo, part of the Apollo Theater Education & Community Outreach Program.