Devin
Dennie, a doctoral geology student at the University of Oklahoma,
and Todd Kent, a filmmaker with Savvy Center Digital Media in Dallas,
have teamed up to produce GeoAmerica, a quickly paced travel show
that focuses on the "earth science heritage," and uses history,
folklore and casual personality to educate the public about their
geological environment along the way.
Dennie
is the "broadcast geologist host" for the programs.
Kent said
GeoAmerica is meant to entertain while maintaining a high level
of value and quality.
"The show
integrates education with popular tourist locations and common every
day concepts," Kent said. "Each episode revolved around a single
scientific point in earth science heritage pertinent to that location."
Earth science
heritage?
"It is
the part of our lives and histories that are intimately related
to our continent and its resources," he continued, "whether it's
the rock in our patio floor, the steep mountain bike trail you ride
on, your granite countertops, the salt on your food or the gas in
your car. Geology is in everything — everywhere.
"A major
goal is to open the eyes of our viewers to these relationships,"
he said. "We hope to generate interest in geosciences within our
youth, change understandings on climate and environmentalism and
generate a better appreciation of the role of natural resources
in everyday life."
The idea
for GeoAmerica grew out of a college project when Kent was studying
at the University of North Texas, where he was to create and produce
a television program as a project. He collaborated with his childhood
friend, who was then completing his master's at Texas Christian
University, to produce "North Texas Explorer," a science-based travel
magazine for North Central Texas.
"We initiated
'North Texas Explorer' on a shoestring budget using school equipment
and shot mainly after school and on weekends," Kent said. With limited
funds, they began distributing the show to other cable channels.
It quickly grew to as many as 10 stations in Texas and New Mexico
and developed a large online following due to the streaming videos
of the show on their Web site, OutdoorFlix.com
and www.geoamerica.tv.
"With NTE,
we proved it is possible to take a relatively uniform geologic area
and make a recurrent, interesting show that utilizes earth science
content in a travel show format. GeoAmerica is a natural progression
of what we began with North Texas Explorer," Dennie said.
The two
gathered more footage at the AAPG Annual Meeting in Dallas, interviewing
geologists and going on a pre-convention field trip.
Dennie
founded and is president of Explorer Multimedia, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization to gather funds for GeoAmerica, with plans to produce
visual products for classroom and exhibits use.
Their vision
has gotten some traction recently, with the University of Oklahoma
agreeing to provide some support.
Plans are
also in the works for similar GeoAmerica shows on archeology, geography
and other sciences. The goal is to meet two-year funding goals for
the first full season of GeoAmerica.