Finding Common Ground Through Storytelling: Ken Burns and PBS’s Paula Kerger in Conversation

• Film
• History

For almost 50 years Ken Burns has been sharing American history through his acclaimed documentaries. Burns will join Paula Kerger, the longest-serving president and CEO in PBS history, to discuss the ways storytelling and media can foster a deeper understanding of American culture and history, helping to bridge the national divide and bring people with different viewpoints together.

The Baltimore Sun has called Ken Burns “not only the greatest documentarian of the day, but also the most influential filmmaker period.” Beginning with such early films as Brooklyn Bridge and The Civil War to his most recent The U.S. and the Holocaust and The American Buffalo, Burns has profoundly shown us a new way to view our collective past. Burns has always partnered with PBS, which Paula Kerger has transformed into a multiplatform digital media organization. Both Burns and Kerger have ushered in a new era for public television while preserving its essential mission of education, inspiration, and service to the American public.

This program is made possible by generous support from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.

In Person:
Ken Burns, Filmmaker
Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS

Moderator:
Stephen Battaglio, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times