KCTS 9 Announces Partnership to Produce New Series About the History of the Puget Sound Region

KCTS 9 today announced a partnership with award-winning local filmmaker John Forsen to produce a significant new multimedia three-part series that captures the history of the Puget Sound region. The series, which will be produced over a three-year period, will incorporate interactive digital and broadcast content including comprehensive educational components for use in middle and high school classrooms. The three episodes will range from the earliest history of the region’s first inhabitants, to today’s vibrant urban landscapes, to an exploration of what the region may look like in the future.
 
“We’re excited to delve into a project of this depth and complexity,” said Robert I. Dunlop, President and CEO of KCTS 9. “This kind of partnership exemplifies our commitment to collaborate with our region’s talented independent filmmakers on themes that resonate within our own community.”  
 
“I’ve had this fascination with the historical stories that have shaped our region and made it what it is today,” said producer John Forsen. “Producing a series that documents how this region started—from the Vashon Glacier carving out the land, to where we are today—is very exhilarating.”
 
Governor Daniel J. Evans is the first Washington State citizen to be interviewed for this project. As the production moves forward, members of the public and the Puget Sound creative community will be encouraged to contribute their own stories of our region. KCTS 9 and Forsen intend—with the public’s involvement—to bring the rich history of this region alive, for the hundreds of thousands of people who may not know the unique and colorful “back story” of the Pacific Northwest.
 
Forsen has been working in Northwest television since 1985 on KCTS 9 documentary projects, including Winds Over Everest and The Susan Butcher Story, and at KIRO TV on special projects and TV programming. Forsen has garnered 13 Emmy Awards both in the Northwest and New York. He has lived in the Puget Sound since 1971, and has always had a passion for history. In 2009, Forsen produced the Emmy-nominated The Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, Seattle’s Forgotten World’s Fair. This sparked the idea to produce a series about the history of the region. KCTS 9 and Forsen will be working with Washington State school districts to use these programs and multimedia content as educational tools in history classes.
 
“It’s a story that hasn’t been told, and I’m excited to partner with KCTS 9 to share these stories with our Pacific Northwest audience,” said Forsen.
 
For more information KCTS 9 programs and initiatives, visit KCTS9.org.

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About KCTS 9
KCTS 9 brings quality public media programming to more than 2.2 million viewers each week in Western and Central Washington State, British Columbia and across Canada. To watch or learn more about any of our programs, visit KCTS9.org.
 

Contact Information

Hilda Cullen

Media Relations Manager

KCTS 9

Contact via E-mail