Getting
the word out that Channel Thirteen has a wide array of
educational services that go well beyond actual
television programs is a task that Sarah Frank has taken
on wholeheartedly.
The
"mission driven executive" was named vice president and
director of Channel Thirteen's Educational Resources
Center a year ago bringing a quarter century of
experience and a record of past successes.
"Gosh, this
is the best kept secret in town. I need to be associated
with something high quality that can make a difference in
people's lives," said Frank. "Schools can't do what we
do. We do more than just fill a gap in public education,
we've become an integral part of it, both on-air and
off."
As
Thirteen's Educational Resources Center director, Frank
is responsible for increasing the impact of the center's
numerous initiatives in the community and continuing to
establish Thirteen as a "multi-faceted educator." In her
short time at the station, she has introduced a number of
initiatives and saw the beginning of a new
record-breaking children's educational program,
Cyberchase.
The
half-hour animated series aims at making math more
appealing for viewers between the ages of eight and 11.
"So many aspects of our life involve math, the idea is
really to make it fun," she said.
Making the
show attractive to viewers is part of Frank's charge, and
marketing, an area of her expertise. The new program,
which premiered in January was introduced on the Internet
with the website launched a month and a half before the
show went on the air.
"We set
ourselves a very big goal and it seems to be working,"
Frank said, explaining that the site had 6-1/2 million
hits before the show went on the air and how Cyberchase
was the first television series that actively sends kids
to the Internet. In fact, the content on the site is
directly tied to what the kids saw on
television.
Frank's
goal is to raise the educational profile of Channel 13.
"We do much more than simply produce and broadcast
programs. We're available 24/7," she said, adding, "A
public television station should exist to serve the
viewers of the community. If you're not providing
educational and community resources then how are you
different. We have to try to serve all our viewers. It's
a pretty large challenge."
The
Educational Resources Center also produces educational
programs for teachers on the Internet in addition to
running a national teacher training institute which
instructs teachers on how to integrate technology in the
classroom. "It helps a teacher turn the classroom into a
fantastic interactive laboratory. It literally brings the
world into the classroom," said Frank.
Online
educational resources include lesson plans for teachers
that are based on new standards. The plans map core
curricular areas and popular teaching themes. "What's up
in the Environment" is a multimedia curriculum package
aimed at instilling preteens and young teenagers with key
concepts in environmental literacy.
"We don't
just do "What's Up in the Environment," we contacted 10
people who work in the area of the environment and asked
them if we could put their resumes on line," said Frank,
adding that descriptions of the environmentalists' day
were also included.
"You can
teach kids positive things," said Frank, who through the
center also handles adult education.
"If we
teach adults who are lost in the system or new Americans,
I want to be part of that," said Frank, who is
particularly passionate about adult literacy.
Among the
many services offered to viewers and subscribers, adult
GED students can receive mentoring via e-mail and
telephone and a teen leadership institute offers year
long activities. A board of teen advisors help Thirteen
pick topics that can be helpful to them, for example,
programs on diversity. Daylong events are held bringing
400 young people together from the ntristate area to
participate in panel discussions.
"It was a
transforming experience even for me," said Frank,
referring to one of the events. "It was absolutely
catching and humbling to me in many ways to watch these
kids be willing to be so open," she said.
As director
of the Educational Resource Center, Frank carries out
diverse activities including the coordination of the
educational programs both on the air and off and she's
involved in fund-raising. She manages a staff of
40.
Frank has
an impressive history in the television industry. She is
an entertainment executive with 25 years of management
experience in international film and television
production and distribution, marketing and sales, and the
Internet.
Under
Frank's direction BBC Worldwide Americas grew from a
$9-million sales arm representing BBC television
programming into an over $70-million diversified media
organization. Frank devised and directed the corporate
strategy aggressively moving the company from program
distribution into brand building and channel
development.
During her
BBC tenure from 1990 to 1997, Frank brought many highly
acclaimed programs to the United States. On the
educational front, she was the innovator of an BBC
education catalogue created for teachers.
"I have a
gift to be able to put good teams together. I think the
challenge is to create the best possible environment
where people can be the best they can possibly be," she
said.
Prior to
coming on board at Channel Thirteen, Frank was president
of Skoodles, Inc., a dot.com, that created a safe,
private Internet with age appropriate content for
children ages three to 12. Before joining Skoodles, Frank
was involved in international media consulting through
her company, Sarah Frank & Co.
She said
she could not resist when asked to come on board at
Thirteen and run the Educational Resource Center. "I
guess my whole career was preparing for this. I find it
so gratifying to see the difference you can make in
people's lives," Frank said.
The highly
motivated executive also has a background in the
production and international distribution of television
programs and films. She once lived in Rome, Italy and
worked on English language and Italian films, including
Sergio Leone's classic, "Once Upon A Time in the
West."
Upon
returning to the U.S., she became associate director of
the international department at the Children's Television
Workshop. She broadened the workshop's mission to include
educating pre-school children in the Caribbean, Europe
and Asia. Frank was responsible for the international
distribution and foreign language adaptations of Sesame
Street and The Electric Company. She was also one of the
first American women to negotiate television program
licenses with Japanese broadcasters.
"I like to
make things grow. I think that's what appeals to me about
gardening. I like to get my hands dirty," said Frank,
referring to her love for her work in educational
television and literally to gardening.
The
communications industry has recognized Frank's many
achievements. She was the recipient of a number of awards
including the prestigious Matrix Award from New York
Women in Communications Inc. She was named one of New
York's 75 most influential women in business by Crain's
New York Business in 1996.
Frank is
also active in the community. She serves on the boards of
Eugene Lang College and the Coalition for Quality
Children's Media. She is also a member of the Women's
Forum.
She earned
a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan
and she is fluent in French and Italian. "If you speak
another language it's a form of acting," she said,
explaining how the arts are a part of her fabric. "I
think I'm the perfect product of my genes," Frank said.
Strong in both production and the arts, Frank is the
daughter of a British actress and an
accountant.
A lover of
the arts, especially ballet, Frank first came to New York
at age 16. After a visit to Lincoln Center, she knew she
would come back and make the city her home one
day.
She and her
husband live in Manhattan with their teenage daughter. "I
love Manhattan, I love the energy that comes from the
people," she said. The family also enjoys quiet weekends
at their home in the Berkshires where Frank pursues her
passion for gardening.
