{"id":22356,"date":"2022-02-03T08:41:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-scenes-almas-way\/"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:48:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:48:26","slug":"behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Scenes of Alma\u2019s Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sonia Manzano, best known for her long run on Sesame Street<\/em> as Maria, and Ellen Doherty, the chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, took TV Kids Festival viewers inside the creation of the new PBS KIDS show Alma\u2019s Way<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Manzano and Doherty participated in a creative keynote with TV Kids<\/em>\u2019 Kristin Brzoznowski on the second day of the TV Kids Festival. You can watch the entire session here<\/a>. <\/strong>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have thought of creating a children\u2019s show if I hadn\u2019t been asked!\u201d Manzano said of how Alma\u2019s Way<\/em> came about. \u201cAfter so many years on Sesame Street<\/em>, creating a children\u2019s show would have been a daunting task. But Linda Simensky at PBS KIDS asked me to do that. She wanted a family show with a Latinx family as the star. So I began to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doherty then worked with Manzano to develop the concept further. \u201cIt was a joy from the first conversation with Sonia,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen she came in, she had such a clear idea for the show, for the world, for Alma, her family and friends. In that first conversation, for the learning part of things, Sonia said, \u2018I want kids to know they have a mind and can use it.\u2019 That was a clear call to action for how to make this show and what we wanted to achieve with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manzano portrayed Maria on Sesame Street<\/em> for more than 40 years. \u201cThe biggest takeaway from Sesame Street<\/em> is that kids live in the same world we do. They like a real place to operate from. They want to know how the world functions and what their part is in the world. So it was very important to me to have this show placed in a very real place. At first, I thought a generic Bronx-y area would be fine. That\u2019s where I\u2019m from; that\u2019s what I know. I\u2019m so happy Ellen said, \u2018Why sort of the Bronx? Let it be the Bronx!\u2019 So with her encouragement, we took that leap to make it a real place; it even has the number 6 train running through it. That anchors the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat authenticity is everything,\u201d Doherty added. \u201cThe realness still gives you room to play and make fun and funny and somewhat exaggerated characters, but the world being New York City, being the Bronx, is amazing. We did make a deal with the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to use real designs of the 6 train and other related subway stops, including the announcer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specificity is key, Manzano added. \u201cThe more generic you are, the fewer people you\u2019ll reach. The more specific, the more it speaks to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

In every episode, Alma, a young Puerto Rican girl, faces a problem, \u201cand we see a thought bubble,\u201d Manzano said. \u201cThe idea is the kid at home will see there is a process to thinking. You can separate one idea from another. That\u2019s what Alma gets to do in every episode.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doherty added, \u201cIt\u2019s modeling for young children that idea of how to talk to yourself, how to think things through on your own. This is a show for kids 4 to 6. Developmentally, they are getting out into the world a bit more than they might have in younger preschool. They maybe have more classmates, more neighbors, just people around the community. It\u2019s also a time when the adult-to-child ratio changes, so there\u2019s more time that kids have to navigate things that are little to adults but big to kids. There\u2019s a moment that happens and they don\u2019t know what to do. Alma models how to pause and say, \u2018What\u2019s happening?\u2019 She reflects on what happened, or she might imagine what would happen if she took one course of action or another. It\u2019s done at a nice pace. It\u2019s very reflective and relatable for young children, and they can follow along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doherty then discussed how Alma speaks directly to the \u201ccamera\u201d\u2014an \u201cintimacy\u2026that is important to have the viewer be along with Alma on her ride through the story. When good things happen, funny things, uneasy things, Alma can take to camera and you know what\u2019s going on with her. The think-through moments are a bit different because it\u2019s Alma talking to herself. That relationship with the viewer is paramount. Because it\u2019s for older preschool, there\u2019s no expectation that the audience is going to reply; we don\u2019t pause for that. [Laughs<\/em>] I was watching a lot of Fleabag <\/em>when Sonia and I started talking in 2016! I just related to that immediacy of the relationship. Also, Insecure<\/em>. Both are really about a grown woman\u2019s relationship with herself. Those ideas trickled down into how we thought about Alma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids are watching adult television with their parents, Manzano added. \u201cSo they have a sense of what\u2019s hip and happening in the television world, so it would behoove us to be inspired by what\u2019s going on in adult television.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social-emotional learning is central to Alma\u2019s Way<\/em>, as with all Fred Rogers productions, Doherty explained. \u201cAlso, showing those loving family and friend relationships, showing good neighbors, that resonates.\u201d<\/p>\n

On how cultural representation in kids\u2019 TV has evolved, Manzano noted, \u201cWhen I began my career, there were no people of color on television! We were invisible. I grew up watching a lot of television in the Bronx and wondering where I fit into this society that I was invisible to\u2014they didn\u2019t see me. When I got the opportunity to be Maria on Sesame Street<\/em>, it was, wow, I\u2019m representing myself finally! I was for other children what I needed to see myself when I growing up. I know how important it is. We\u2019ve come a long way, but we have to go much further. I want the legacy of Alma\u2019s Way<\/em> to be: After that show aired, there were a million shows about diverse people in the U.S. And not just people of color policing the content, but actually people of color creating the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doherty noted, \u201cIt is far too shocking to me that it\u2019s taken as long as it has to make the progress that has been made, which is not enough. Alma\u2019s Way<\/em> is about great stories. It\u2019s not just checking a box about something. It\u2019s authentic storytelling and world-building that is hugely relatable. I hope there\u2019s more diversity behind the camera, with creators, within the writers\u2019 room, giving people opportunities, being thoughtful about all the choices we make throughout the day and where we include and where we exclude.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sonia Manzano, best known for her long run on Sesame Street as Maria, and Ellen Doherty, the chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, took TV Kids Festival viewers inside the creation of the new PBS KIDS show Alma\u2019s Way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":22357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[5787,5126,146,6363],"class_list":["post-22356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-almas-way","tag-ellen-doherty","tag-pbs-kids","tag-sonia-manzano","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Scenes of Alma\u2019s Way - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind the Scenes of Alma\u2019s Way - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sonia Manzano, best known for her long run on Sesame Street as Maria, and Ellen Doherty, the chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, took TV Kids Festival viewers inside the creation of the new PBS KIDS show Alma\u2019s Way.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-03T13:41:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-03T13:48:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/07\/2022-02-02-Alma.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"319\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/\",\"name\":\"Behind the Scenes of Alma\u2019s Way - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-03T13:41:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-03T13:48:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/behind-the-scenes-of-almas-way\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Behind the Scenes of Alma\u2019s Way\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\",\"name\":\"TVKIDS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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