By: Scott Barker, Matt Rankin and Rusty Odom
Editor’s note: This article is a joint project between Compass and Blank Newspaper.
Cookie Monster and several of his Muppet buddies slipped into Knoxville this spring for a clandestine taping of three specials for the iconic children’s show Sesame Street.
The specials, which will be streamed on Max (formerly HBO Max), were taped at RIVR Media’s studio on Baum Drive, Young-Williams Animal Center, The Bark Knoxville, and at two Knox County Schools in April. The first special, “Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale,” begins streaming today.
According to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that owns the beloved educational show, the three specials are Sesame Street’s first foray into unscripted programming that reaches out to communities.
“Whether it’s holding a bake sale to raise money for a cause, turning trash into treasure to spotlight an animal shelter, or remodeling an underfunded theater classroom, all three specials stress the importance of kindness, teamwork, being resourceful and helping others,” Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop’s chief of creative development and production, said in a news release.
Lori Golden-Stryer, CEO of RIVR Media, initially agreed to an interview last week, but canceled at the request of Sesame Workshop. RIVR Media announced its participation on its Facebook page last Thursday after The Hollywood Reporter ran an article about the specials.
“Our collaboration was surreal,” the post stated. “We brought our knowledge of unscripted television to their world, and they brought unbridled creativity, kindness, and puppetry into ours.”
“Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale,” with guest star Eddie Jackson, was taped at Beaumont Magnet Academy and the Central High School track. Cookie Monster and Jackson, a former NFL player-turned chef who was the Season 11 winner on “Food Network Star,” hold a friendly baking competition featuring Beaumont students. The cupcakes created by the students are offered in a bake sale to raise money for a youth sports team’s uniforms.
A portion of “Oscar’s Handmade Halloween,” which will be available on Oct. 19, features some of the pets available for adoption at Young-Williams. Oscar the Grouch, in a not-so-grouchy mood, and Food Network personality Sunny Anderson help a family create canine costumes from articles found in Oscar’s trash for a Halloween dog parade not unlike Knoxville’s Mardi Growl.
Chastedy Smith, public relations and marketing director for Young-Williams, said the taping was exciting for staff and fun for the participating pets.
She said watching the Muppets in action was a treat and that the dogs were unfazed by wearing costumes or their new furry friends.
“The dogs were, ‘OK, I’ll let this puppet pet me, that’s fine,’” she said. “I know the episode’s going to turn out really sweet.”
About two dozen dogs joined in the parade, which was held at The Bark, an indoor dog park near Emory Place, where they got the red carpet treatment. The lineup included dogs then sheltered at Young-Williams, some Mardi Growl veterans and even a few staff pets. “My dog was in it, too,” Smith said.
Young-Williams hopes the special will raise awareness about animal shelters and their mission.
“I hope that people all around the world will see there are shelters out there and the work that we do,” Smith said. “Also, we like to have fun.”
“Elmo and Tango Holiday Helpers,” with guest star Jasmine Roth, features the happy red creature and his puppy reimagining a classroom. Roth is the host of HGTV’s “Hidden Potential,” a home makeover show. The team surprises a teacher and her students with a classroom makeover. As part of the production, crews made improvements to the theater classroom at Beaumont. The show airs Dec. 7.
Cookie Monster, Oscar, Elmo and Tango aren’t the only fuzzy favorites to be featured in the productions. Grover, Bert, Abby Cadabby, Gabrielle and other Muppets also make appearances.
The tapings at school facilities took place on April 23 and 24 at Beaumont, and on April 27 at Central. They were conducted under terms of an agreement approved by the Knox County school board in April. In the contract with RIVR Media, the program was given the code name “SS Lifetime Special.” RIVR Media did not pay the school system for the use of the schools.
Citing a confidentiality clause in the contract, Carly Harrington, chief of communications for Knox County Schools, declined an interview about the school system’s participation, but she did provide a statement: “Knox County Schools had the opportunity to work with a nationally recognized children’s television series for an exciting new program series. We look forward to seeing the episodes on Max!”
Sesame Street’s regular programming has been produced at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, N.Y., since 1993. The historic complex, which dates back to the 1920s, was the original Paramount Pictures studio.
The production of the specials in Knoxville came about as a result of conglomerate synergy and personal connections in the cable television industry.
Warner Bros. Discovery owns Max, which is now the streaming platform for Sesame Street. Warner Bros. Discovery also owns HGTV and Food Network, both of which were once subsidiaries of Knoxville-based Scripps Networks Interactive, acquired by Discovery in 2018.
Golden-Stryer formerly worked at HGTV and has produced programming for the Food Network, while HGTV co-founder Bob Baskerville is president of RIVR Studios. Prior to taking the wheel at Young-Williams, Testerman was an executive at Scripps Networks Interactive when it was HGTV’s corporate home.
RIVR Media produces programming for both HGTV and Food Network. The company was founded by Dee Haslam, the daughter of Ross Bagwell Sr., whose Cinetel Productions was acquired by Scripps in advance of the launch of HGTV.
The leveraging of brands with Knoxville connections suggests one path forward for local production companies and the freelance market they support.
The merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery led to the shuttering and sale of its highly visible Knoxville headquarters, although the company retains a local presence.
Several firms specializing in both film and short-form content still call the city home, as do a wealth of freelance professionals. Though the Sesame Street production did not receive incentives, the Tennessee Entertainment Commission offers rebates to qualified TV and film projects, and Visit Knoxville, the local tourism bureau, has a film office dedicated to promoting the region to TV and film production companies.
