Season Eight of Roadtrip Nation to premiere this fall

COSTAMESA,CALIF.(June 2011) — Roadtrip Productions and KQED are proud to announce the premiere of Season Eight of Roadtrip Nation, which will be distributed through American Public Television to public television stations across the country beginning on Sept. 24, 2011. Roadtrip Nation is a weekly half-hour documentary series that tracks the up-close and personal journeys of young twenty-somethings as they cross the nation to figure out what to do with their lives.

In 12 episodes, Roadtrip Nation: Season Eight follows two teams of Roadtrippers who travel coast-to-coast in Roadtrip Nation’s Green RV to define their own Roads in life by speaking with over 20 Leaders who have built their lives around doing what they love.

Of team Crazy, Babbling, Sunshine, viewers will meet Antoine, Hannah, and Nika. Antoine, 22, has never left Southern California; Hannah, 25, left her job as a weather broadcaster in South Korea to move back to the United States to learn how she can use her talents to help others; Nika, 21, on the other hand, grapples with straying from her background in political science for a potential life in acting.

From team Here, There and Everywhere is Denise, Sarah, and Carolyn. Denise, 20, is a hairdresser from Salt Lake City, Utah, who wants to explore what else the world has to offer; Sarah, 24, desires to do something creative but struggles to not let fear hold her back from trying new things; while Carolyn, 28, left her steady job at an advertising agency to find out how she can use her skills for more humanitarian causes.

Along their adventures together, the Roadtrippers book interviews with Leaders that they admire to find out about the passions that drove them, the fears that they faced, and the steps that they took to get to where they are today. The teams also face major obstacles—one of which nearly ends their Roadtrips altogether—that test their resilience and remind them about what’s important in life.

Several of the Leaders featured in Season Eight are: Soledad O’Brien, a CNN news anchor; Craig Robinson, an actor on the NBC series The Office; Gale Gand, a pastry chef and host on the Food Network; Todd McFarlane, creator of the comic book series Spawn; Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, star of the reality TV show Family Court with Judge Penny; and Hannah Song, president of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a nonprofit that helps North Korean refugees.

The philosophy that drives Roadtrip Nation is the search for individuals who have resisted pressures to conform and who have become successful by following their own paths.

For local airtimes, go to http://roadtripnation.com/watch.

 

ABOUT ROADTRIP NATION

In the summer of 2001, three friends decided to take a Roadtrip to seek their place in the world. The idea behind the Roadtrip was simple: If you don’t know what to do with your life, talk to people who are doing what they love, then ask them how they got there. The trio hit the road in a mechanically unsound Green RV, and three months and 17,000 miles later had interviewed 85 eclectic individuals.

Since then, Roadtrip Nation has evolved into a Movement to help individuals define their own Roads in life: including eight seasons on public television, three books, an online community, and a student network on more than 350 college campuses.

In 2009, the Movement expanded into education with the creation of RoadtripNation.org and the development of The Roadtrip Nation Experience, a hands-on, engaging curriculum that guides students through an explorative process to learn about pathways relevant to their own individuality.

Roadtrip Nation is dedicated to inspiring people everywhere to create lives based on doing what they love. To learn more, go to roadtripnation.com. And to learn more about Roadtrip Nation in education go to roadtripnation.org.

ABOUT KQED

KQED (kqed.org) has served Northern California for more than 50 years and is affiliated with NPR and PBS. KQED owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area), KQED Plus (San Jose/Bay Area), and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5FM San Francisco and 89.3FM Sacramento); the interactive platforms kqed.org and KQEDnews.org; and KQED Education. KQED Public Television, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations, is the producer of local and national series such as QUEST; Check, Please! Bay Area; This Week in Northern California; Truly CA; and Essential Pépin.  KQED's digital television channels include 9HD, KQED Life, KQED World, KQED Kids, and KQED V-me, and are available 24/7 on Comcast.  KQED Public Radio, home of Forum with Michael Krasny and The California Report, is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service delivering more than eighteen local newscasts daily.  KQED Interactive provides KQED’s cross-platform news service, KQEDnews.org, as well as offers several popular local blogs, video and audio podcasts, and a live radio stream at kqed.org. KQED Education brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents, and the general public through workshops, community screenings, and multimedia resources.

ABOUT AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION

American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to America’s public television stations since 1961. In 2009, APT distributed 56 of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles. Among its 300 new program titles per year are prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies, including: For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots; A Ripple of Hope; Rick Steves' Europe; Newsline; Globe Trekker; Simply Ming; America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated; Lidia's Italy; P.Allen Smith's Garden Home; Murdoch Mysteries; Doc Martin; Rosemary and Thyme; Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison; The Great American Songbook; and John Denver: The Wildlife Concert. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. In 2006, APT launched Create® — the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. APT is also a partner in the WORLD™ channel expansion project including its web presence at WORLDcompass.org. For more information about APT’s programs and services, go to APTonline.org. For more information on Create, go to CreateTV.com.

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For more information, contact:

Christina Mitchell

Community & Press Relations

christina@roadtripnation.com