COMEDY GOES GLOBAL ON MAY 14 WITH THE WORLDWIDE PREMIERE OF "STAND UP PLANET," AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY PRESENTED JOINTLY BY KCETLINK AND PARTICIPANT MEDIA'S PIVOT
Legends Bill Cosby, Carl Reiner and Norman Lear To Be Featured in Comedy Travelogue Airing Simultaneously On Both Networks At 7 PM ET/6 PM CT
LOS ANGELES, CA - April 9, 2014 - Can the universal power of comedy change the global conversation about poverty? KCETLink, the national independent public media organization, and Pivot, Participant Media's TV network targeting Millennials, today announced the upcoming joint premiere of an original two-part documentary special, STAND UP PLANET that showcases an uprising of fresh and fearless comics changing the world one joke at a time. Link TV and Pivot will premiere the documentary block simultaneously on May 14, 2014 starting at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The KCET (Southern California) broadcast airs at 9 p.m. PT on May 14, 2014.
Hosted by comic, Hasan Minhaj (Arrested Development, MTV's Failosophy), STAND UP PLANET is equal parts reality TV, documentary journey and travelogue that brings viewers on a quest to find some of the best humor coming from far corners of the developing world. The two comedy documentary specials and transmedia shorts showcase Minhaj's epic journey of discovery to find the freshest comic voices in the most unlikely places: Mumbai, India and Johannesburg, South Africa. Along the way, Minhaj follows the jokes and personal experiences of these international comics deep into the hard truths of some of the toughest global poverty issues of our time. Along with a posse of comedian friends, including Nate Bargatze, James Adomian and Michelle Buteau, Minhaj invites comedians from India and South Africa to take part in the biggest night of their lives - performing in an international comedy showcase and television show in Hollywood - after a stop to meet three of comedy's legends: Bill Cosby, Carl Reiner and producer Norman Lear.
"Stand Up Planet is the quintessential program for Pivot as it sheds light on truly important, timely and global issues but speaks to those topics in a way that brings us all together," said Kent Rees, EVP Marketing and Scheduling at Pivot. "No matter where you live or what your beliefs are, our love of laughter is something we all have in common. Our hope is that this documentary will spark conversation and inspire viewers to take action around this issue."
More than a TV event, STAND UP PLANET's digital campaign - hosted on www.StandUpPlanet.org - provides viewers with behind-the-scenes content and ways to learn, share information and take action on global poverty in India and South Africa. The two-part documentary - STAND UP PLANET and STAND UP PLANET: Comedy Showcase - will also be streamed on www.StandUpPlanet.org following the television premiere.
"Laughter opens our ears and our hearts - and once people are listening, who knows what they might be inspired to do?" said Wendy Hanamura, Chief Digital Officer and an executive producer on STAND UP PLANET. "With the project's unique ability to blend levity, reality and education on multiple platforms, our hope is that all Stand Up Planet audiences will find some of the world's toughest problems a little more accessible, understandable and become agents of social change."
STAND UP PLANET is also distributed internationally, premiering on NDTV Prime in India in May.
STAND UP PLANET is funded by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and produced by independent broadcaster KCETLink in association with Kontent Films. The television elements were directed by David Munro, and the project's executive producers are Wendy Hanamura,
Caty Borum Chattoo, Paul S. Mason, Craig Minassian, David Munro, Xandra Castleton, Mark Decena and Teri Heyman. Munro and Castleton are the TV program's creators. The project's transmedia executive producers and directors are Caty Borum Chattoo and Wendy Hanamura.
Follow STAND UP PLANET on Twitter at @standupplanettv and on Facebook at facebook.com/StandUpPlanet. Follow the conversations at #StandUpPlanet. To learn more, please visit www.standupplanet.org.
About KCETLink
KCETLink is the national independent public transmedia organization formed by the merger between KCET and Link Media. A viewer-supported 501c(3) organization, its content is distributed nationally via satellite on DirecTV (375) and DISH (9410), in Southern and Central California via broadcast, as well as through various digital delivery systems. The combined organization reaches a wide broadcast audience that includes Link TV's 33 million satellite subscribers and KCET's 5.6 million households in Southern and Central California. KCETLink is committed to driving public media innovation with smarter ways to access content that engages all audiences with global storytelling. For additional information about KCETLink productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org or linktv.org.
About Pivot
Pivot (Pivot.tv), which launched nationally August 1 is a television network from Participant Media serving passionate Millennials (18-34) with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. Pivot focuses on entertainment that sparks conversation, inspires change and illuminates issues through engaging content and, through its website TakePart.com, connects audiences to a wealth of content and customizable actions. Pivot is available via traditional Pay TV subscription and integrating a Live and on demand streaming option via its interactive, downloadable Pivot APP. Follow Pivot on Twitter at @pivot_tv and on Facebook at facebook.com/pivottelevision.
About Participant Media
Participant (ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 45 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN', THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network TakePart.com and Pivot, its new television network for Millennials, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.
|