New Children's Series To Begin Distribution To Public TV Stations in September

THE ‘PRINCE OF PENCIL POWER’ RETURNS TO TELEVISION IN 2009

NETA will Distribute 26 HD Half-Hours of Learn- to- Draw TV Set in September

Robert Neustadt Productions of Northbrook, IL announces the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) will distribute 26 new half-hours of “Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station” in Fall of 2009 to public television stations nationwide Shot in HD before a live studio audience, the popular ‘how to draw in 3-D” TV series is based on Kistler’s books published by Simon & Schuster and Da Capo Press, and his on-line art academy designed for teachers and kids ages 6-14.

The new episodes will be offered exclusively to all 330 public TV stations in 2009 before being syndicated or distributed overseas. Previously, Kistler’s high-energy shows aired on over 150 stations from Los Angeles to Long Island. (SOURCE: Westlink)

At age 21, Kistler hosted his first national TV series, “The Secret City” in 1986. He now enjoys an almost ‘cult following’ on the Internet. Notable Kistler alumni include DC Comics artists, Miley Cyrus(“Hannah Montana”) and Rex Grignon, Animation Supervisor at Dreamworks for “Shrek” and “Madagascar.” Grignon and a team of dedicated graduate students and professors at San Jose State University designed a brand new animated open for this series.

Producer Robert Neustadt, (BSC '81- TCOM-Video), and fellow WOUB alumni, resides in Chicago, Illinois with his family. He holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and is the recipient of numerous awards for his work in television. In addition to producing the newest series of Mark Kistler's Imagination Station 2009, Neustadt has also produced and/or directed for Discovery, Fox, NBC, Towers Productions, Orbis’ “Better Homes & Gardens” and “Ron Hazelton’s Housecalls” and various corporations and non-profits. This is his first series shot primarily HD.

-Photo courtesy of Lois Bernstein

Two WOUB Alumni Receive Recent Honors

We are proud to say we knew them, way back when...

Paula Shugart ('81 BSC-RTV) and Perry Sook ('80 BSC-RTV), both fellow WOUB alumnus, have recently been in the news and are being noted and congratulated, by all their old friends and acquaintances from Ohio University.

Perry Sook, has been named Broadcasting and Cable Magazine's "Broadcaster of the Year". Sook is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Sook will be honored September 10, 2009, when the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) holds its forecasting conference at the McGraw-Hill Conference Center in New York City. Sook also currently serves as a director of the Television Bureau of Advertising and serves as trustee for the Ohio University Foundation

Paula Shugart will be receiving her honors in October, when she receives the Ohio University Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumnus Award, during Ohio University homecoming weekend. Honors to be bestowed at a black tie gala Friday, October 16th, 2009 at the new Baker University Center. Shugart is president of the Miss Universe Organization. The MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® Pageants are a Donald J. Trump and NBC Universal joint venture. And that means, yes, she works for Donald Trump. Many might suggest she merits awards for that alone.

Congratulations to both Paula and Perry, our friends, and fellow WOUB alumni. We are all so very proud of both of you!!