Joan Ganz Cooney is making her way into history books. She’ll be the first woman to receive the International Broadcasting Convention’s International Honor for Excellence. Ganz Cooney is the co-founder of the Children’s Television Workshop, now Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, she’ll receive the prestigious honor at next month’s IBC convention in Amsterdam.
Seen in more than 150 countries worldwide, “Sesame Street” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“Through television, and now through new media, ‘Sesame Street’ is a genuinely positive, transformative influence in children’s lives,” said IBC CEO Michael Crimp. “It has transformed television and had a huge impact on our industry.”
Ganz Cooney already made history as the first female nonperformer to be inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
The producer previously worked in the State Department in Washington, D.C. and as a journalist. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1995. In 2007, the Sesame Workshop founded The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Named in honor of the producer, the independent research and innovation lab focuses on the challenges of educating children in an ever-evolving media landscape.