[OCWIC] "Prototype This" - New Television Series for DiscoveryChannel

[B A Bair]

Colleagues and Friends,

FYI.  This was routed to me via WEPAN, but I've been encouraged to share
as appropriate. You should too.

It would be awesome to see one of you become a role model for women in
computing!

:-)


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Christiansen [mailto:steve_christiansen at beyond.com.au] 
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 12:56 AM
Subject: Prototype This - new television series for Discovery Channel


My name is Steve Christiansen. I am a series producer/writer working for
an Australian television production company called Beyond Productions.
Beyond has a long established relationship with the Discovery Network
and has produced numerous television series over many years. These
series include our own program 'Mythbusters' that screens very
successfully in the US (and throughout the world).

The purpose of my note is to ask you for some assistance. I'm casting
for a new TV series and I wonder if you know anyone who might be
interested in contacting me about participating on it.

The show is called Prototype This, and the idea is to each week put
together two inventions that might solve an everyday problem or meet
some need people have.  The inventions may not necessarily be the sort
of things that corporations would want to manufacture, they can be
prototype looking, but we want to be able to achieve a proof of concept
at least with most of the builds.

Martyn Ives (who will be series producing 'Prototype This') and I are
assembling a team of people together to host the show.  We have two
already, both guys who have just finished their PhDs, one at MIT, the
other at Santa Barbara.  They are a robotics engineer and a mechanical
engineer respectively.

We're now looking for another two or three people who combine build
skills and technological know how, with "blue sky" thinking and an
attitude that would appeal to viewers.  In particular, we need an
electronics expert on board. Needless to say we are especially
interested in maintaining a balance of sexes in the engineering area. We
are very interested in ensuring that we have female engineers in equal
numbers on the show if it is at all feasible.

Discovery is hoping to skew this show to a younger audience (15 - 35) so
we are looking for highly skilled engineers with building talent who are
in the range of 25-35 - in particular but not exclusively, women. If it
is possible for you to circulate this email to as many of your engineers
as possible or if you know anyone who might fit the bill and would like
to talk to me I would be delighted.

 

Hope to hear from you.

Best

Steve Christiansen - Producer