Carol-Lynn Parente
Executive Producer, Sesame Street
As Executive Producer of Sesame Street, Carol-Lynn Parente is responsible for overseeing production for Sesame Workshop's landmark television program and serves as a creative guide to keep the program fresh and exciting. She is the first executive producer to grow up watching the show.
Parente has been with the Workshop for 19 years, steadily rising from Post Production Assistant to Senior Producer. Over the last nine seasons Parente has managed the animation and post-production processes of "Elmo's World" segments, as well as, supervised production of two home videos, Elmo's World: Happy Holidays and Kids Favorite Songs 2 both of which were Telly Award winners. Parente also worked closely with independent film makers to develop short films for Sesame Street. Most recently Parente won her 7th Emmy for Sesame Street in the Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series category, helping the program top the Guinness World Record for Most Emmys by a Television Series with 109 wins.
Melissa Dino
Producer, Sesame Street
Melissa Dino has been with Sesame Workshop for over 14 years and has won seven Emmy Awards for her contributions as Producer of Sesame Street. She has also been a Producer for numerous Elmo's World and Sesame Street home video titles including Kid's Favorite Songs 2, which was the winner of a Telly Award. Dino is integrally involved in both pre-production and studio production, supervising script production and writing assignments, show scheduling and the child talent department. She also works closely with the International, Publishing and Interactive departments on Sesame Street related projects.
Tim Carter
Producer, Sesame Street
Tim Carter has worked on the Sesame Street team for over 19 years. He currently supervises the post-production department and manages the overall show layout. In addition, he oversees various Sesame Street audio mixes, handles the editing of special Sesame Street projects, and was credited as Associate Director for Elmo's World: Happy Holidays, Kids' Favorite Songs, and several other Sesame Street home videos. Carter has won three Emmys for his producing work on the show. He has a background in education and previously taught in a school for children with special needs in Queens. Also, Carter is the father of twin boys, soon to be Sesame viewers.
April Chadderdon
Line Producer, Sesame Street
April Chadderdon is responsible for overseeing the finance, legal and business affairs, facilities, and daily production operations that pertain to Sesame Street and all Sesame Workshop home videos.
Chadderdon began her television production career in 1995 at Lifetime Television as an Associate Producer and then Segment Producer of Our Home. In 1997, she left Lifetime and went on to produce many projects from The Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart before finding her home in children's television.
Chadderdon has been at Sesame Workshop since 2001. She adores being a part of Sesame Workshop and making quality educational entertainment for kids!
Chadderdon resides in New York City with her Scotty, Lottie.
Crystal Whaley
Producer, Sesame Street
Crystal Whaley commissions all animation, mixed media and live action films for Sesame Street. She's also responsible for commissioning films for international co-productions and various home video titles.
Her background includes executive producing, producing, and commissioning documentaries, commercials and music videos. She's a former Director of Video Production for the award-winning Arista/BMG Records. She's produced nationally syndicated Peabody-nominated documentaries for PBS and The Learning Channel.
Crystal brings 10 years of production experience with consistently increasing responsibilities in project conceptualization, implementation and staff management. She's also a product of Sesame Street, having grown up with the show, Crystal brings a creatively fresh approach and a genuine love to the 'Street.'
Resemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D.
Vice President Education and Research, Sesame Workshop
Rosemarie Truglio is responsible for the development of the interdisciplinary curriculum on which Sesame Street is based, and for the formative research conducted to inform production on how to enhance both the entertaining and educational components of the program. Dr. Truglio also develops and reviews the content across all Sesame Street products and programs (e.g. publishing, interactive, home videos, and outreach).
Before joining Sesame Workshop, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Through her research, she has investigated the effects of television on the cognitive and social development of children and adolescents. She has written numerous articles appearing in child and developmental psychology journals; presented her work at national and international conferences; conducted media literacy workshops, and has appeared on both broadcast and cable network programs. Dr. Truglio is co-editor of G is for Growing: Thirty years of research on children and Sesame Street (2001) published by Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
Dr. Truglio currently serves on several Advisory Boards: Children's Digital Media Center, Alliance for a Media Literate America, Girls Inc. Media Literacy, and PBS Kids Next Generation Media Advisory Board.
Dr. Truglio received her Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas, and her B.A in Psychology from Douglass College, Rutgers University.
Lou Berger
Head Writer, Sesame Street
Lou Berger is celebrating his 19th year with Sesame Street and his tenth year as Head Writer. An alumnus of New York's High School for the Performing Arts, he wrote, directed and performed in his senior class show in 1968, then went on to write and star in Show on the Road for PBS. Berger was head writer for Pinwheel, Nickelodeon's first show for children, and was one of two writers that helped launch Reading Rainbow in the early 1980s. He also was playwright in residence at Williamstown for the premiere of Hawthorne Country, his drama starring Richard Thomas. A ten-time Emmy Award winner, Berger wrote Sesame Street Stays Up Late, Sesame Workshop's primetime New Year's special, and was supervising producer and writer for Nickelodeon's The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. He was also one of the co-creators of Between The Lions for PBS. His musical, Wild Boy, for which he wrote the book, had its world premiere at The Carlsen Center in Kansas. Lou co-wrote, with Judy Freudberg, the primetime special, Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On, which was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Children's Program. He wrote the lyrics for the special's song, "The Street I Live On," which was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
Judy Freudberg
Head Writer, Sesame Street
Judy Freudberg has been writing for Sesame Street since 1975. One of the creators and developers of Elmo's World, she now serves as head writer for that popular segment. Freudberg collaborated with Tony Geiss on Sesame Street's first feature film, Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird as well as The Land Before Time and An American Tail, two feature animation films for Stephen Spielberg. She and Molly Boylan were nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special for the home video Elmo's World: Wild Wild West. For Sesame Street season 35, Freduberg co-wrote, with Lou Berger, the primetime special, SesameStreet Presents: The Street We Live On, which was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Children's Program. Most recently, Freduberg worked with Belinda Ward on The Upside Down Show and wrote two episodes for its first season.
