Documentary Screening of "Call Me Ted" & Panel Discussion
This event is open only to NPC Members & their guests. Registration is required.
Apr 4 2025
WHEN:
Apr 4, 2025 at 6:00pm
WHERE:
Ballroom
CONTACT INFO:
Madison Siciliano
MORE INFO:
Special Event
Join us April 4th at 6:00 pm for an exclusive screening of the new Max documentary series Call Me Ted, which provides an inside look at media titan Ted Turner. This six-part documentary series was written and directed by Keith Clarke and produced by Joni Levin, who will join former CNN correspondent and Washington bureau chief, Frank Sesno, for a panel discussion following the screening.
The life and legacy of Ted Turner is told in his own words in this documentary series, which explores Turner’s tumultuous personal life, controversial public persona, and groundbreaking business ventures — including the launch of CNN (the first 24-hour news network) and creation of the Goodwill Games. The series also delves into his philanthropic efforts, environmental advocacy, and decorated sailing success. Featured interviews include Jane Fonda, John Malone, Christiane Amanpour, Alan Horn, his children, and more.
Join us for the opportunity to see the life and legacy of Ted Turner shared in his own words!
The film’s teaser can be viewed here.
Panelists
Point Blank Productions is helmed by husband-and-wife team, Producer Joni Levin and Writer/Director Keith Clarke. Together, they have been involved in numerous acclaimed projects that have garnered both Oscar and Emmy nominations, spanning feature films, television series, documentaries, and TV movies.
Their highly anticipated six-part documentary series Call Me Ted, premiered on Max in November 2024. The series, written and directed by Clarke and produced by Levin, explores the wild, wild life of media mogul Ted Turner, with whom Levin and Clarke share a long-standing professional relationship. Levin produced the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars which earned Turner his first Emmy. With Levin producing and Clarke writing, the two also delivered Turner 8 Emmy nominations for their work on In Search of Dr. Seuss.
Levin and Clarke have also done substantial work in narrative features, including The Way Back, based on the nonfiction book The Long Walk. The story follows the harrowing journey of seven WWII prisoners who escaped from a Siberian gulag. After years of development, Clarke's spec script brought the project to life. Directed by Peter Weir and starring Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, and Ed Harris, the film earned an Academy Award nomination. Another significant project was Ben-Hur, a passion project for Clarke, who spec’d the script. Levin secured MGM's involvement, and the film, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Huston, was shot in Rome.
Frank Sesno serves as a Professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs and as the Executive Director of the George Washington University Alliance for a Sustainable Future. The Alliance is a broad pan-university initiative to amplify the university’s research, teaching, convening and impact around climate change, environmental justice, and sustainability.
An Emmy-award winning journalist, Sesno’s career in journalism spans four decades, placing him at the reporting forefront of major events worldwide. He served as director of the School of Media and Public Affairs from 2009-2020. He has extensive experience, and an abiding commitment to, environmental journalism and stewardship. Sesno teaches environmental reporting is the founding director of Planet Forward, a multi-media platform for college students to publish stories about climate change, sustainability, and innovation. Sesno hosts programs on Public Broadcasting focusing on the health of the Chesapeake Bay, sea level rise, and community resilience.
Sesno’s diverse journalistic career includes more than two decades at CNN as a White House correspondent, anchor, Sunday talk show host, Washington bureau chief, and special correspondent. While serving in those roles, he covered presidential campaigns and political conventions; superpower summits; arms negotiations; conflicts in the Middle East and Latin America; and historic events such the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the 9/11 terror attacks and, from the West Front of the Capitol, Barack Obama’s historic inauguration as America’s first Black president.