Thomas Skinner is an American television and film executive. Skinner has received four Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, and a Dupont/Columbia award. He is known for his work in

public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

as Executive Producer of '' National Geographic Specials'' and other programming for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and WQED in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

and the Free to Choose Network''.''

Education

Skinner earned a B.S from the State University of New York-Fredonia in Radio, Television and Speech Education and a Masters and Ph.D. degree in Radio, Television, and Theater from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Following graduation, Skinner joined the

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

faculty as an Assistant Professor, and later Associate Professor, teaching television production.

Career

In association with psychologist Carl Rogers at the Western Behavioral Institute in La Jolla, Skinner directed the documentary film ''

Journey into Self ''Journey into Self'' is a 1968 documentary film introduced by Stanley Kramer, produced and directed by Bill McGaw. The film portrays a 16-hour group-therapy session for eight well-adjusted people who had never met before. The session was led by ...

'' The firm was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature by the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

after the original winner, ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...

'', was found to be ineligible. In 1966, Skinner left

to become Assistant Manager of the

station, WITF, in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

. His work included projects such as ''Sons and Daughters'', ''A Time to Act'', and ''Interact''. He also wrote and produced the documentary ''Fence Around the Amish'' featuring

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and ...

. In 1970, WITF General Manager Lloyd Kaiser and Skinner became president and Executive Vice President at the nation's first community-licensed public television station, WQED in Pittsburgh, PA. Skinner was also responsible for the establishment of WQED-FM and

Pittsburgh Magazine Pittsburgh Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It hosts an annual "40 Under 40" featuring prominent young Pittsburghers. It's known for listicles including Pittsburgh's 25 Best Restaurants, Best of the 'Bur ...

. Skinner also served as Chief Officer at WQED-FM and Pittsburgh Magazine. Skinner was executive producer of ''National Geographic Specials'', ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

'' and ''The Infinite Voyage''. Skinner was responsible for bringing the National Geographic Specials to PBS and secured funding for the series from Gulf Oil Corporation. Works produced in conjunction with the National Geographic Society included an educational series on the American Revolution hosted by

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

, and a series on the works of Shakespeare. In 1975 Skinner was Executive Producer of ''Voyage of the Hokulea'', a 90-minute special that included in the first successful voyage by the Hawaiian double-hulled canoe ''Hokulea'' from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

utilizing only celestial navigation. Skinner was also Executive Producer of the 1984 National Geographic Special ''Among the Wild Chimpanzees'' about

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

and Executive Producer for 25 seasons of National Geographic Specials on PBS. Skinner won Emmys for ''The Great Whales'', ''

'', ''Gorillas'', and ''Rain Forest''. Additionally, three works Executive Produced by Skinner received Peabody Awards: ''The Turned on Crisis'' in 1971, and the National Geographic Specials in 1980 and 1986. The National Geographic Special ''The Living Sands of

Namib The Namib ( ; pt, Namibe) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Nami ...

'' was awarded an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards in 1979. In 1994, Skinner left QED Communications to produce commercial television projects, including the seven-hour series ''Pirate Tales'' for

Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (lat ...

. Skinner then joined Resolution Productions in Burlington, Vermont as vice president for Programming and Development creating and supervising shows for the

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

and A&E Networks including ''Floating Palaces'', ''California and the Dream Seekers'' and ''The Story of Money'' for A&E, and ''Battleship'' and ''The Secret World of Air Freight'' for the Discovery Channel. Beginning in 2000, Skinner served as Managing Director at the Inland Seas Education Association, a non-profit organization in

Suttons Bay, Michigan Suttons Bay is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 618 at the 2010 census. The village was incorporated in 1898 and is located within Suttons Bay Township. History The community is named for one o ...

, that teaches school children about the science of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

aboard tall ships. In 1995 and 1996, Bob Chitester, then President and CEO of the Free To Choose Network, invited Skinner to serve as a production consultant for a major project produced by Free To Choose Network. Skinner joined Chitester as executive producer of the

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...

television biography, "The Power of Choice" broadcast on PBS in 2007 after which Skinner joined the Free To Choose Network where he is Senior Executive Producer.

Programs directed or produced

Director * "

", 1968 Executive producer * "The Turned on Crisis" series on drug abuse with Dr. Carl Rogers for PBS, 1971 * "The National Geographic Specials" for PBS 1975–1994 * "Drink Drank Drunk" special with Carol Burnett for PBS, 1975 * "The Puzzle Children" special with Julie Andrews and Bill Bixby for PBS, 1976 * "Raised in Anger" special with Ed Asner for PBS, 1979 * "Previn and the Pittsburgh" (season 3) 4 programs with the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an America ...

for PBS, 1980 * "The Chemical People" series with Nancy Reagan for PBS, 1983 * "Planet Earth" series for PBS with the National Academy of Sciences, 1985 * "Adult Literacy in America" special with Barbara Bush for PBS, 1987 * "Norman Rockwell, An American Portrait" special for PBS, 1987 * "Visions of the Constitution" series with Andrea Mitchell for PBS, 1987 * "The Infinite Voyage" 20 programs for PBS (with National Academy of Sciences), 1987–1991 * "The House on the Waterfall" special about

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

Fallingwater Fallingwater is a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in the Laurel Highlands of southwest Pennsylvania, about southeast of Pittsburgh in the United States. It is built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill R ...

for the Pennsylvania Public TV Network, 1989 * "Camera Magic: Images of Nature" with

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

, special for PBS, 1989 * "Nature Rediscovered" produced in "

Showscan Showscan is a cinematic process developed by Douglas Trumbull that uses 70mm film photographed and projected at 60 frames per second, 2.5 times the standard speed of movie film. History Trumbull first came to the public's attention for his work ...

" for the Seville World's Fair, 1992 * "The Spirit of Pittsburgh" promotional film for the RK Mellon Foundation, 1992 * "Conserving America" series for PBS, 1994 * "Pirate Tales" series for Turner Broadcasting (TBS) 1995 * "Floating Palaces" series for A&E Networks 1996 * "Battleship" special for Discovery Network 1997 * "The Secret World of Air Freight" special for Discovery Network, 1998 * "California and the Dream Seekers" series, A&E Networks 1999 * "The Power of Choice" Milton Friedman Biography for PBS, 2007 Producer/director * "The Steel Shutter" documentary special with the BBC on the conflict in Northern Ireland with Dr. Carl Rogers and William McGaw, 1972 U.S. program executive * David Attenborough's " The First Eden" co-production with the BBC shown on PBS, 1987 Senior executive producer * "The Ultimate Resource" special for public television via

APT Apt. is an abbreviation for apartment. Apt may also refer to: Places * Apt Cathedral, a former cathedral, and national monument of France, in the town of Apt in Provence * Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France * A ...

, 2007 * "The Power of the Poor" special with economist Hernando de Soto for PBS, 2009 * "Turmoil & Triumph: The George Shultz Years" series for PBS, 2010 * "Globalization at the Crossroads" for PBS, 2012 * "Testing Milton Friedman" series with NETA, 2012 * "Economic Freedom in Action: Changing Lives" special for public television with NETA, 2013 * "Unlikely Heroes of the Arab Spring" special for PBS, 2014 * "Walter Williams: Suffer No Fools" for public television with NETA, 2014 * "Power to the People" special for public television with NETA, 2015 * "India Awakes" special for public television with NETA, 2015 * "Trailblazers: The New Zealand Story" special for public television with NETA, 2016 * "The Real Adam Smith" special for public television with NETA, 2016 * "Work and Happiness: The Human Cost of Welfare"special for public television with NETA, 2017 * "School Inc." with Andrew Coulson, series for public television with PBS Plus, 2017 * "Is America in Retreat?" special for public television with NETA, 2017 * "The Price of Peace" special for public television with NETA, 2018 * "Sweden: Lessons for America?" special for public television with NETA, 2018 * "A More or Less Perfect Union" series for public television, 2020 * "We Hold These Truths: The Global Quest for Freedom" special for public television via APT, 2023 * "Free to Speak" series with Nadine Strossen for public television with APT, 2023 Senior executive editor * "Free or Equal" special for public television with NETA, 2011 File:Tom Skinner - Bob Chitester.jpg, Tom Skinner beside long-time associate and co-producer, Bob Chitester. Pictured File:Tom Skinner - Lou Asner.jpg, Ed Asner presents the 1990 Emmy for outstanding television documentary series, "Planet Earth" to Tom Skinner. File:Tom Skinner - Nancy Reagan.jpg, Tom Skinner meeting Nancy Reagan. File:Tom Skinner - Milton and Rose Friedman.jpg, Tom Skinner standing beside Milton and

Rose Friedman Rose Director Friedman (; born Rose Director (December 1910 – 18 August 2009), was a free-market economist and co-founder of the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. Biography Rose Friedman attended Reed College and then transferred to the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Thomas American television executives University of Michigan alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

Education

Career

Programs directed or produced

See also

References