Primetime Emmy Award Nominee to Speak at Pitt

PITTSBURGH—Rick Sebak, famous for his documentaries on hot dogs, flea markets, roadside restaurants, and specials about Pittsburgh places and icons, will speak at the University of Pittsburgh campus at 5:30 p.m. Jan 25 in the Assembly Room, William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland.

Sebak, a WQED filmmaker, has produced several documentaries that have aired on PBS stations across the country. In 1990, he put together a television special titled Things That Aren't There Anymore about beloved places and pieces of Pittsburgh that have been torn down, done away with, or replaced. Winner of a 1991 regional Emmy for Best Cultural Program, the documentary looks at things like streetcars, Forbes Field, and the old Allegheny County Fair and West View Park. Sebak's concept has been imitated by several other PBS Stations, including WHYY in Philadelphia.

Also in 1990, Sebak converted Our Neighbor Fred Rogers into a national program for PBS. After the death of Fred Rogers in 2003, Sebak rewrote the documentary, which was re-edited with new narration by the actor Michael Keaton. Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor earned Sebak a Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.

A few of Sebak's other nationally broadcasted documentaries include An Ice Cream Show, A Flea Market Documentary, and A Program About Unusual Buildings & Other Roadside Attractions. His latest work, It's the Neighborhoods, features unique stories from neighborhoods across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

This event, presented by Pitt in Hollywood, is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.pittinhollywood.org.

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