KCET Kicks Off its 'Shining A Light On LA' Event at The Hollywood Roosevelt’s Iconic Blossom Ballroom
On Monday Oct. 2 from 7:00p.m., KCET kicked off its first Upfront event since leaving PBS over six year ago called “Shining A Light On LA” with an exclusive screening of original programming at The Hollywood Roosevelt’s iconic Blossom Ballroom. Guests were welcomed with opening remarks from KCET’s President and CEO Michael Riley followed by an introduction of the shows from KCET’s Chief Creative Officer Juan Devis.
The event kicked off the launch of new seasons of SoCal Connected, Town Hall Los Angeles and Lost LA. Clips of each show were followed by words from Anchor of KCET’s SoCal Connected & Host of Town Hall Val Zavala, KCET’s Executive Director of News Programming Karen Foshay and Host of KCET’s Lost LA Nathan Masters. The event began with a red carpet and reception attended by Hollywood Icon Angelyne, Actor/Filmmaker Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), USC Professor of Sociology, American Studies & Ethnicity Manuel Pastor, USC Professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience & Pediatrics Dr. Maja Mataric, Youth Organizer with the East Los Angeles Women’s Center Karla Ortiz, Research Director at USC’s Program for Environmental & Regional Equity Jennifer Ito, Host of Globe Trekker Brianna Barnes, Host of KCET’s Meals Ready to Eat August Dannehl, Reporters for KCET’s SoCal Connected Nic Cha Kim and Deepa Fernandes, Opera Singer/Actress Suzanna Guzman and more.
Over two hundred guests attended including the cast and crew from each of the series as well as special guests interviewed in the upcoming episodes of the following shows:
- Town Hall Los Angeles presents cutting edge solutions, visionary thinkers and intriguing stories from the worlds of technology, medicine, the economy, social justice, the arts and more. Through exclusive, intimate discussions with KCET's SoCal Connected anchor Val Zavala, top industry experts offer their perspectives and solutions to regional, national and international matters. Premieres Wed., Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on KCET in Southern California.
- The longest running newsmagazine program in Los Angeles, SoCal Connected has a renewed commitment to always questioning critical decisions that impact Angelenos. The eighth season of award-winning SoCal Connected anchored by Val Zavala premieres Tues., Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. on KCET in Southern California.
- Lost LA uncovers the hidden past of this region through the documents, photos and archives that give a new cultural perspective to the creation of modern day Los Angeles. Lost LA, a co-production with the University of Southern California Libraries and sponsored by Union Bank, the series brings Southern California history to life by marrying archival materials from the “L.A. as Subject” research alliance with innovative forms of documentary storytelling. Hosted by renowned public historian Nathan Masters of USC Libraries, Lost LA premieres on Tues., Oct. 10 at 8:30 p.m. on KCET in Southern California.
All shows will also be streaming on YouTube, Roku and Apple TV.
