Joan Ganz Cooney

Joan Ganz Cooney

Birth : 1929-11-30, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

History

Joan Ganz Cooney (born Joan Ganz on November 30, 1929) is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop or CTW), the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street, which was also co-created by her. Cooney grew up in Phoenix and earned a B.A. degree in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working for the State Department in Washington, D.C. and as a journalist in Phoenix, she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in New York City. In 1961, she became interested in working for educational television, and became a documentary producer for New York's first educational TV station WNET (Channel 13). Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys. (From Wikipedia)

Profile

Joan Ganz Cooney

Movies

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Self
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.
Sesame Street: Old School Vol. 2 (1974-1979)
Creator
Can you dig it? Sesame Street: Old School Volume 2 picks up right where Volume 1 left off, including all of the grooviest Sesame Street memories from 1974 to 1979! Remember when friends like Don Music, Roosevelt Franklin, Guy Smilty and Fat Blue were on the street? Break out your boogie shoes for far out classics like "What's the Name of That Song?" and "Telephone Rock!" Rediscover the Sesame Street of the 1970s—the place where you learned about letters, numbers, and loveable furry monsters. Catch you on the flip side!
Knife Skills
Executive Producer
Edwin’s Restaurant is determined to become one of America’s top French restaurants, with a staff unlike any other in the country. Brandon Edwin Chrostowski prepares to open his Cleveland, Ohio fine dining establishment with a staff composed nearly entirely of recently released prisoners in search of an opportunity to get their lives back on track. They sign up for a classical French food boot camp to learn the ins and outs of fine wine, sauces, and more.
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
A documentary about Caroll Spinney who has been Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969. At 78-years-old, he has no intention of stopping.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Self
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.
The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits
Self
When "The Electric Company" made its television debut in October 1971, it was instantly clear that it would fulfill its mission of helping struggling and reluctant readers. With a ground-breaking and diverse cast, clever writing, innovative direction, and an original visual and musical style, the show was so effective that by the end of its first season, nearly a quarter of all US schools were using the show in the classroom. Generations of young people learned to read from the series, making it one of the most important and enduring shows in American television history. "The Electric Company's Greatest Hits and Bits" is a clip-filled celebration featuring many of the series' most popular segments (with Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno and the rest of the multi-talented Electric Company cast), and includes new interviews with cast members Jim Boyd, Judy Graubart, Skip Hinnant, Tom Lehrer, Rita Moreno, and Joan Rivers, as well as with series creator Joan Ganz Cooney.
Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music
Self
A television special broadcast on PBS in honor of composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist Joe Raposo after he passed away.
Sesame Street: Follow That Bird
Executive Producer
Big Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker. Unhappy, Big Bird runs away from his foster home, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.