It only takes 22 minutes to watch an episode of an animated show like “Cyberchase,” but it takes weeks or even months to create that episode.
That was just one eye-opening fact students learned when Jesse Pilnik, an associate producer for PBS Kids, spoke to Angela Carrasquillo’s media arts/tech class at Isaac E. Young Middle School on Oct. 10. Students in the class, being offered for the first time this fall, learn about all aspects of media including public service announcements, digital citizenship, advertising, podcasting, broadcast journalism and more.
“This class teaches students how to tell a story through all different media," said Carrasquillo. “Guest speakers from all aspects of media, including content producers, anchors, reporters, directors, marketing, and advertising, show students that there is so much more to media than talking in front of a camera.”
Pilnik is currently the associate producer for the Kids’ Media & Education Department at the WNET Group/Thirteen, New York’s flagship PBS station. He works on the PBS Kids’ series, ”Cyberchase,” and has also worked on “The Plate Club,” “Count on Junesville,” “Wordsville,” and many other programs.
Carrasquillo said she chose Pilnik as a speaker because he has worked on shows that students would recognize from Nickelodeon and PBS Kids, and he is an Emmy winner for his work. The students learned about the role of a content producer and what is involved in creating a children’s cartoon.