The Man Behind The Muppets
Gary Knell—President and CEO, Sesame Workshop—to Speak at The Aldrich
Ridgefield CT (October 2007): The man behind the Muppets—Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, Bert and Ernie—Gary Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop, will speak at The Aldrich for the third installment of For Members, By Members on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, at 8 pm.
For Members, By Members is a program which invites an Aldrich member to share his or her passion and expertise at a members-only event. The event is free to Aldrich members, but registration is required and seating is limited. To reserve, please contact Elizabeth Zeder at 203.438.4519 or visit www.aldrichart.org. Not a member? Join before the event and reserve early to hear Mr. Knell share stories about his career in media!
About the Speaker:
Mr. Knell leads the nonprofit educational organization in its mission to create innovative, engaging content that maximizes the educational power of all media to help children reach their highest potential. He has been instrumental in focusing the organization on Sesame Street's global mission, including groundbreaking co-productions in South Africa, Russia, China, and Egypt. He also helped found PBS Kids Sprout, a 24-hour domestic cable channel in the U.S.
Previously, Mr. Knell was managing director of Manager Media International, a print and multimedia publishing company based in Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In this capacity, he oversaw the development of the monthly business magazine Asia Inc., the daily Asian-based newspaper Asia Times, and several trade publications.
He also has served as senior vice president and general counsel at WNET/Channel 13 in New York, was counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees, and worked in the California State Legislature and Governor's Office.
Mr. Knell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Board of Governors of the National Geographic Education Foundation, and is a Board member of AARP Services, Inc.; Save the Children; Business for Diplomatic Action; and American Public Television. He is also an advisor to WFUV, public radio at Fordham University, the Annenberg School of Communications at USC, and Common Sense Media. He is a frequent spokesperson in the media, appearing in numerous venues, including CNN, Fox News, NBC’s Today Show, NPR, and CNBC.
Mr. Knell has been a Gordon Grand Fellow at Yale University, and a guest lecturer at Harvard University, Boston College, and Southern Methodist University. He has served as the commencement speaker at UCLA and the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr. Knell holds a BA in Political Science and Journalism from the University of California at Los Angeles and a JD from Loyola University School of Law.
