PBS, AOL Partner on Women's Movement Documentary Project

'Makers: Women Who Make America' to air in 2013; digital video site launched Tuesday

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/28/2012 2:23:31 PM

New York -- AOL and PBS on Tuesday launched "Makers: Women Who Make America," a digital video and broadcast initiative to showcase a collection of stories from women who helped shape the women's movement in the United States.

The multi-platform Makers project profiles famous women like Sandra Day O'Connor, Barbara Walters and Billie Jean King as well as unknown females who have sparked change and paved the way for women who followed in their field.

Makers: Women Who Make America will air as a three-hour documentary on PBS in 2013 with first-person accounts from the 100 women selected for the project. PBS will also work with its stations to create local initiatives around the project.

In an effort to not leave footage on the cutting room floor, the AOL-developed Makers.com, launched Tuesday, features original video archive content from the project edited by the filmmakers. PBS will have its own companion site at pbs.org/makers.

At a launch event for Makers here Tuesday afternoon, Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS spoke of seeing few role models on television as a young girl growing up in Baltimore, which was part of her reason for wanting to be involved in Makers.

"Because of this project, the next generation of women will see inspirational women on their screen," she said. "We hope to bring the story of women in America to every American."