Miami, FL - South Florida PBS (WPBT, WXEL, & Health Channel) is thrilled to announce our supporting role in bringing Carl the Collector to homes in our community and across the nation. This groundbreaking new PBS KIDS series, set to premiere on PBS stations on November 14th, 2024, features Carl, the first main character of a children's series on the autism spectrum
The South Florida PBS production team is working hand in hand with Carl the Collector producers to film promotional materials for the program’s national rollout this coming fall.
“When we learned about Carl the Collector at the PBS Annual Meeting in May, we asked how we can help introduce Carl, his friends, and his collections to our viewers?” said South Florida PBS Principal Director of Content Melissa Harmon, “We were thrilled to be able to help facilitate the production of collaborative content between Maryland Public Television (MPT) and the Pierre family of ‘Autism in Black,’ based in South Florida.”
South Florida PBS has previously worked with the Pierre family and Autism In Black collective this past April on a series of educational digital shorts. The Pierre family’s mission with Autism in Black is to provide support to Black parents who have a child on the spectrum, through educational and advocacy services. Autism in Black is dedicated to bringing awareness to autism spectrum disorder and reducing the stigma associated with ASD in the Black community.
Today, the South Florida PBS team is at the Pierre family’s home working with the Maryland Public Television’s children’s content team Bill Beustring, Karla Thompson, and Krista Repass to capture the family watching Carl for the first time.
Following this, we will collaborate with MPT producers in our Boynton Beach studios to film a conversation with Maria Davis-Pierre and Dr. Berry Pierre about their family's journey with autism and their thoughts on seeing a character that reflects their children's experiences.
Carl the Collectorfollows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to detail, and a distinctive way of looking at and experiencing the world around him – have helped him amass a collection for just about every occasion (e.g., the perfect fake mustache or a soft plushie for a friend in need) and come in handy for solving problems around the neighborhood with his friends. Carl the Collector was created by New York Times best-selling illustrator and author Zachariah OHora and is produced by Fuzzytown Productions and Spiffy Pictures.
Viewers are encouraged to check their local listings this November for further information on the premiere of Carl the Collector.
For more information on Autism in Black: https://www.autisminblack.org/
For more information on Carl the Collector:https://pbskids.org/videos/carl-the-collector
Those without access to South Florida PBS can watch all our programming live on our websites using the links below:
WPBT Live streaming can be viewed here: www.wpbt2.org/live-tv/
WXEL Live streaming can be viewed here: www.wxel.org/live-tv/
About South Florida PBS
South Florida PBS is Florida’s largest public media company, including Public Broadcasting stations WXEL-TV, serving the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast and WPBT2, serving Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and the Health Channel, the only 24/7 channel dedicated to health in the nation. South Florida PBS connects organizations and institutions across our region and preserves South Florida's history. Leading the way in this global society, South Florida PBS is committed to creating and presenting award-winning programs focused on kids, education, arts and culture, health, environment, science, and civic engagement. Learn more at www.southfloridapbs.org/
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