PBS’s WEATHERED: Building a Multiplatform Success
Join us on December 17 at 12 pm EST for a virtual panel with guests from WEATHERED: EARTH’S EXTREMES on PBS, a show that highlights real stories from people affected by natural disasters and climate change. Host Maiya May and producer Trip Jennings will discuss the evolution of WEATHERED from shortform on digital platforms to a highly successful longform series and share best practices for creating climate content with impact. They will also explore what inspired them most, the biggest challenges they faced, and share advice for climate filmmakers. Maiya and Trip will be joined by PBS executives Diana El-Osta and Adam Dylewski.
Maiya May spent her undergraduate years studying geography and atmospheric science at the University of Missouri-Columbia while completing weather internships at KOMU, WAGA, WSB-TV, and The Weather Channel. She produced and directed documentary projects in Belize, Canada, Utah, and Iceland. She currently hosts a climate web series for PBS Digital Studios titled WEATHERED and its longform spinoff WEATHERED: EARTH’S EXTREMES.
Trip Jennings, director of WEATHERED, has spent two decades in the non-fiction documentary world, specializing in adventure, nature, and climate-focused storytelling. Over the last five years, he and his team at Balance Media have produced over 60 episodes of the show. The most recent season was a multiplatform project spanning broadcast, streaming, YouTube, and TikTok. Before working with PBS, Trip produced and shot for National Geographic, earning recognition as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his first project with the organization. Dedicated to addressing issues at critical tipping points, Trip uses his work to educate and inspire action. His films aim to equip frontline communities, policymakers, and the public with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about today’s most pressing challenges.
Diana El-Osta is the Senior Director of Multiplatform Programming and Development for PBS’s General Audience Programming team. In this role, she is responsible for developing and overseeing science and natural history content for PBS. She previously served as the Head of Development for Still Life Projects, a digital production studio, and Condition One VR, a virtual reality production and technology company. She also led the development of all original series, specials, and feature documentaries for Al Jazeera America’s Documentary Unit and served as Manager of Global Development and Production for National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild.
Adam Dylewski is a Senior Director of Multiplatform Programming at PBS, where he develops original programming and digital content strategies that help PBS connect with a new generation of viewers online. Across YouTube, the PBS app, TikTok, podcasts and other platforms, Adam has developed PBS series and channels that reach hundreds of millions of viewers each year and have won Emmy and Webby awards, including WEATHERED, TERRA, AMERICA OUTDOORS: UNDERSTORY, PAN PALS, MONSTRUM and more.