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PACKERS KIDS SHOW MAKING WAVES
posted 11/03/00
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| WR Antonio Freeman is interviewed by 13-year old Sami Spielbauer for an episode of GTV. |
Saturday morning television now has more to offer than cartoon reruns.
GTV, a new, weekly 30-minute program on the Green Bay Packers, has already received rave reviews from young viewers for its behind-the-scenes look at the world of the National Football League.
Hosted by Sami Spielbauer, a 13-year-old from Menasha, Wis., the show gives viewers a glimpse of life inside team headquarters at Lambeau Field.
"GTV is a high quality show that has an MTV look and feel," says Packers marketing assistant Craig Benzel, who was instrumental in the show's development. "It is fast paced, graphic intense and loosely styled to appeal to a younger audience. And while the show is presented in a way to reach younger Packers fans, it's content is designed to appeal to Packers fans of all ages."
GTV airs every Saturday during the Packers' regular season at 11:30 a.m. on Green Bay's Fox Channel 11 and Madison's Fox 47. The Midwest Sports Channel carries the program Sunday mornings at 9:30.
Player profiles, exclusive interviews and up-close looks at game preparation by trainers, equipment managers, groundskeepers and others are among the features common to the exciting new program.
"First, the Packers have a great story to tell both on and off the field," Benzel adds. "So coming up with unique story lines and interesting features is the easy part. The hard part is coordinating everything with the players, coaching staff, TV stations, and production crews. That credit goes to all the people who produce the show at Made Ya Look Productions and Packers Assistant Director of Public Relations Aaron Popkey, who finalizes all the details with the players and staff. It takes a lot of time and energy to finally put together the finished product, but it is well worth it when you wind up with a great show in the end.
"Packers fans both young and old - male and female - have commented on how they like the fresh approach to their favorite team. Not every fan wants to know about the X's and O's, but instead wants to learn about the softer side of football. GTV offers that in a light-hearted, entertaining way."
Benzel, Popkey, Made Ya Look Productions and Kris Olson, the show's writer and director, had all the pieces in place to begin work on their new creation at the start of the season but were missing the final member of their team.
That's when Spielbauer auditioned for her current role and caught everyone by surprise with her intelligent and professional demeanor. From the beginning, Olson knew she had a star in the making.
"We liked the look that she had, and she has a very vivacious personality," Olson describes Spielbauer. "Plus, she's the age that we were looking for. She's fresh and eager to learn, and she does learn very quickly. We throw her a script maybe 24 hours in advance, and she can handle it."
Spielbauer, who has been modeling since she was a toddler and only recently has begun to explore her possible television career, is enjoying her time in the spotlight.
"It's really fun," Spielbauer says with a grin. "I got to interview Brett Favre and ask him about his daughter, and Santana Dotson was really nice, too. I've gotten to do lots of other neat stuff, like going in the locker room. Not many people get to do that."
True, not everyone gets to host an episode of GTV. But most everybody seems to be watching.
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