Greater Chicago Area
Gene Koprowski writes/produces/directs documentaries for the world's leading media brands for distribution on TV, film, and streaming media. He is a Telly Award Winner (2020) for his producing/writing/directing for PBS-TV and an Emmy Award Nominee for his writing/reporting for Fox News Channel Digital (2008). Skills include: • Story design, including creation of characters and narratives and stories in multiple genres. • Researching storytelling possibilities through interviews, document and photographic research. • Directing documentary footage, sound bites, and graphics + visual effects that enrapture viewers on the emotional, aesthetic and literal levels. • Executive producing and managing the work flow of an entire storytelling team of writers, editors, on-air talent, and assistants from start to finish. • Strategic planning for editorial content, production aesthetics. budgets, personnel for TV documentaries, digital, and live media. Gene’s documentary film, The Frank Capra Story: A Wonderful Life, was chosen as an Official Selection of the American Documentary Film Festival (2019). The film received audience accolade honors, the Back by Demand award, from film-goers after its silver screen debut at the Camelot Theater in Palm Springs, Calif. on March 31, 2019. The encore showing was in the same theater on April 4, 2019. Gene was writer/director/producer of the film. The documentary was also an Official Selection of Metro Film and TV Awards (2019), and earned the Award for Excellence from that festival’s judges. The thirty minute film debuted in 2018 on close to 100 PBS-TV affiliates, including WTTW/PBS Chicago. The film also aired this Christmas season on WTTW on December 29 and December 30, 2019, and was awarded the Telly Award (2020) this spring for best documentary archival research. His upcoming documentary film on the 80th anniversary of BUGS BUNNY'S screen debut, ON WITH THE SHOW, debuts this fall on PBS TV affiliate WTTW/Chicago. The doc this spring received an Honorable Mention in the Bridgefest Film Festival (Vancouver, B.C.) Gene also produces, writes, and directs a documentary series for national public media’s Pacifica Radio Network, called Liberation Now!, and a comedy series called MELANIA'S COFFEE KLATCH, which are both available on 200 public radio stations in the U.S. and in major markets like Chicago. He also produces/writes/directs plays at The Second City, the premiere comedy theater, and the Greenhouse Theater in Chicago.
Writer/Producer/Director Gene Koprowski is acclaimed in the media industry as an creative thinker, and passionate storyteller. He works across media, from digital media to TV documentaries, for the world's leading media brands.Skills include: • Story design, including creation of characters, scenarios. • Researching storytelling possibilities through interviews, document and photographic research. • Directing documentary footage, sound bites, and graphics + visual effects that enrapture viewers on the emotional, aesthetic and literal levels. • Executive producing and managing the work flow of an entire storytelling team of writers, editors, on-air talent, and assistants from start to finish. • Strategic planning for editorial content, production aesthetics. budgets, personnel for TV documentaries, digital, and live media. He earned an Emmy Award nomination as a producer-writer for his interactive storytelling for Fox News Channel (2008), a division of 20th Century Fox. Gene’s latest documentary film, The Frank Capra Story: A Wonderful Life, was chosen as an Official Selection of the American Documentary Film Festival (2019). The film received audience accolade honors, the Back by Demand award, from film-goers after its silver screen debut at the Camelot Theater in Palm Springs, Calif. on March 31, 2019. The encore showing was in the same theater on April 4, 2019. Gene was writer/director/producer of the film. The documentary was also an Official Selection of Metro Film and TV Awards (2019), and earned the Award for Excellence from that festival’s judges. The thirty minute film debuted in 2018 on close to 100 PBS-TV affiliates, including WTTW/PBS Chicago. The film also aired this Christmas season on WTTW on December 29 and December 30, 2019. Gene also produces, writes, and directs a documentary series for national public media’s Pacifica Radio Network, called Liberation Now!, which is available on 200 public radio stations in the U.S. and in major markets.
Created strategic planning report for WTTW's new CEO Sandra Micek, which counseled streaming of AP exam prep and related educational content via YouTube -- not just WTTW.com -- to connect GenZ and Millennial viewers to PBS brand. WTTW is the PBS affiliate in Chicago, and one of the leading distributors of programming for PBS nationally. Other duties -- general advisement on documentary programming and other programming to the Vice President of Programming and VP of New Media. Station also operates WFMT, a classical music station, and PBS radio affiliate. Elected by fellow board members to a three-year term.