In this episode, OnWriting host Geri Cole talks with Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser, co-writers of the FRONTLINE special “The Choice 2020: Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden”, now airing on PBS.
Geri spoke with Michael and Mike about making documentaries that are hard hitting without being partisan, their impressive catalog of FRONTLINE specials that have looked at everything from the Mueller Report to Mitch McConnell’s takeover of the Supreme Court, and the insane timeline they work off of for all their projects.
“The Choice 2020: Trump vs Biden” is the ninth installment of “The Choice,” a PBS Frontline investigative documentary series aiming to better inform American voters about the two major candidates of that year’s presidential election. The 2-hour program examines the biographies of President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from, and how they lead. The program, which recently premiered on PBS, is available to stream now on the PBS website.
Michael Kirk was the original senior producer of Frontline from its inception in 1983 until the fall of 1987, when he created his own production company, the Kirk Documentary Group. He has produced more than 200 national television programs, and has won four Peabody Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards, two George Polk Awards, 16 Emmy Awards, and 12 Writers Guild of America Awards for his work.
Mike Wiser has worked on more than 30 films for Frontline since joining the Kirk Documentary Group in 2003. His work as a writer and producer reporting on national security, foreign affairs, sports, criminal justice, and the global financial crisis has earned him several Peabody, Emmy, and Writers Guild of America Awards.
OnWriting is hosted by Geri Cole, a writer and performer based in New York City. She is currently a full time staff and interactive writer for SESAME STREET, earning her a Writers Guild Award and two Daytime Emmys. She also performs sketch and improv at theaters and festivals around the country.
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