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New KCET Original Documentary NIGHTSHIFT Follows Five Angelenos Whose Workday Starts While the City Sleeps

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Allison Gray
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Timed to Air Just After Labor Day

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Image courtesy of KCET.
kcet.org/nightshift

Burbank, Calif. – Aug. 14, 2019 – KCET, a producer of award-winning and diverse original content for public media, and Artifact Nonfiction, an award-winning documentary content studio, announced today a new hour-long documentary called NIGHTSHIFT that follows five Los Angeles residents in their routines as night shift workers. The filmmakers take viewers on an intimate and atmospheric journey to the world of people who work while the city sleeps to explain why jobs like these are growing. Set to premiere just after Labor Day, the co-production NIGHTSHIFT premieres Tues., Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern California and Wed., Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide (DirecTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410).

Following the broadcast, each episode will stream at kcet.org/nightshift and on the free KCET app (available on Roku and Apple TV), the PBS Video app (available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, the App Store and Google Play), as well as on YouTube.

While most of us are sleeping, nearly 15 million Americans are heading off to work. NIGHTSHIFT immerses viewers in the diverse experiences of five of those workers over the course of a single night and a day, showing what each of them does to keep the 24-hour economy running. Along the way, they share their feelings about their own lives, and make observations about issues that impact us all. The documentary also explores the reasoning behind their choice to clock in as the sun sets, each explaining their role in their communities, the necessity of their occupations and why the usual nine-to-five workday is not an option for them.

Subjects featured in the documentary:

Harriet Hayes is a baker with Bub and Grandma’s, a wholesale artisanal bread bakery in Silver Lake. Harriet and her husband moved to Los Angeles 10 years ago and had two kids. Harriet left a career in marketing and found her calling in bread. Working nights helps her to balance career and family -- in particular, it allows her to be around during the day for her son who requires special needs.

Vincent Marsala, a marine veteran, works as a night shift superintendent at LA Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, being built by Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke in Inglewood, CA. During the daytime, he participates in a mentoring program that aims to inspire high school students to consider the construction field as a career. Vincent proudly sees his work on the stadium, opening summer 2020, as part of history, with his fingerprints embedded on a soon-to-be iconic structure in the Los Angeles landscape.

Veronica Lagunas works as a nighttime janitor at an office building in downtown Los Angeles. When Veronica isn’t on the job or taking care of her family, she can be found volunteering as a workers’ rights activist and as an instructor in a self-defense class geared towards female custodians, who face high rates of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Carlos Franco is the owner/operator of a family-run, wholesale produce stall at the downtown 7th Street Market. Carlos has been a part of the market his whole life, having worked there as a young boy before eventually taking over the business from his parents. He lives in East LA and has watched as the neighborhood where he lives -- and now the one where he works -- have been impacted by gentrification.

Katheryn Cabanillas is a divorced single mom with four kids who has worked with UPS for 16 years. When she started, her only focus was getting medical benefits for herself and her children. Today she manages overnight shipments from everywhere between Alaska and California. The night shift allows her to be available for her kids -- taking them to school, picking them up and helping them with homework.

Join the conversation on social media using #nightshift

ABOUT KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps. KCET is a content channel of the Public Media Group of Southern California.

ABOUT ARTIFACT NONFICTION
Based in Los Angeles, Artifact Nonfiction is a documentary content studio that celebrates the diversity of the human spirit. Artifact's filmmakers are among the most respected in the field, having garnered Academy Awards and nominations, Emmy Awards and nominations, Clios, Geminis, and numerous film festival prizes. Founded in 2001, Artifact Nonfiction has collaborated with institutions including ITVS, HBO, A&E, Discovery, The Sundance Institute, California Humanities, The Center for Asian American Media, and the Museum of Modern Art In New York. For more information please visit www.ArtifactNonfiction.com.

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