Linda Simensky, Vice President of PBS Kids programming, is one of those people who has been inspiring creatives all of her life. I first met her at Nick Jr where she gave me great advice when I was creating Blues Clues. She talked with me and my co creators about our BIG meeting we were to have with the network. She offered us pointers, tips and insight into our pilot. There’s no doubt about it, Linda was instrumental in getting Blues Clues on the air.
12 Years later, when Blues Clues went on hiatus, Linda (now at PBS) asked me what project was next. I talked with her about a reading show that had been my Masters Thesis. I gave her a copy of the pitch materials. Months later, as I was still contemplating my next career move, the phone rang…Linda. She said that PBS wanted to do the literacy show. Was I interested? I literally dropped the phone on my toe.
It was comforting to hear Linda discuss her belief in our vision. Especially when my little Blue puppy was taking a little R&R. She discussed that while it was important to her that we create a show that kids would want to watch, it was more important that we teach them to read & LOVE to read.
I was thrilled and inspired by Linda’s passion. Linda has been a champion of developing educational shows with a sense of purpose, clever humor, great characters and interesting storylines. She has been inspiring producers for a long time. She has a gift and I’m honored to be a part of her circle.
Alright, enough of the love-in…check out my interview with The Linda Simensky on The Parent Show.
