RI PBS to Broadcast Emmy-winning screenwriter and actor Danny Strong’s acceptance of the 2014 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square

NEWPORT, RI—On Friday, November 21, 2014, at 10:30 PM, Rhode Island PBS will broadcast the acceptance speech of 2014 Pell Center Prize Winner Danny Strong.  The award was made in April at Salve Regina University during the Pell Center’s annual Story Day conference.  The prize, in its second year, was in recognition of the Emmy-winning screenwriter and actor’s use of story to advance the public dialogue.

In the speech that will be broadcast on Friday, Strong discusses how storytelling, in the form of the “Cosby Show,” affected his view of the world as an adolescent and the challenges facing filmmakers who want to produce stories that matter today.

“What elevates story is a simple word—theme,” says Strong. “The pursuit of theme in story is what makes the world a better place, in my opinion.”

Strong won two Emmy awards for HBO’s “Game Change” (2012) and an Emmy award nomination for HBO’s “Recount” (2008).

“Danny Strong understands the power of story to move people,” said Jim Ludes, Pell Center Executive Director.  “His works explore recent American political history, the civil rights movement, and the dystopian future imagined in film adaptations of The Hunger Games.  His remarks last spring left everyone inspired by the power of story and we’re grateful to RI PBS for the opportunity to present them to a broader audience.”

Strong’s current projects include “Mockingjay,” the two-part finale of The Hunger Games, part one of which premiers this week, and “Empire,” a unique family drama set in the world of  hip hop which debuts on FOX in January 2015.

Danny Strong’s acceptance of the 2014 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square can be seen on Friday, November 21, 2014 on RI PBS:

Standard Definition              HD

RI Cable        

Cox Communications             8                                  1008

Verizon FIOS                            8                                  508

Block Island Cable                  9

To find RI PBS on your cable provider in either Connecticut or Massachusetts, please visit http://www.ripbs.org/cable.html.