We’re thrilled to make our public television debut with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, after Moundsville’s acquisition by NETA. This story belongs to the people of Moundsville, Marshall County, and West Virginia. We’re getting the coveted 9pm prime-time slot, right after Antiques Roadshow. I hope people enjoy the story and that it sparks lot of good conversations.
John W. Miller
PRESS RELEASE
MAY 20, 2020
‘Moundsville’ to Make PBS Debut on West Virginia Public Broadcasting
– Moundsville to air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Monday, May 25, at 9 p.m.
– First screening on a PBS affiliate since acquisition by National Educational Telecommunications Association
– For more information or to receive a digital copy of the film, contact John W. Miller on 412-298-0391 or jmjournalist@gmail.com – Info&reviews: Moundsville.org
– Moundsville is the biography of a classic American town, Moundsville, WV
– Moundsville has been endorsed and recommended as “Refreshing Change” from Hillbilly Elegy, by West Virginia Council of Teachers of English Co-Director Jessica Salfia
PITTSBURGH, PA — Moundsville, the biography of a classic American town acclaimed as an antidote to “Hillbilly Elegy,” will air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Monday, May 25, at 9 p.m.
WVPB is the first station to air Moundsville since it was acquired by the National Educational Telecommunications Association at the end of 2019.
Eddie Isom is WVPB’s director of programming. “We love to work with independent producers who tell stories about the history and culture of the Mountain State,” Isom said. “We are pleased to present Moundsville because gives us an interesting look at a historical area and manages to avoid typical West Virginia stereotypes.”
John W. Miller co-directed the film with David Bernabo. “We’re thrilled to show Moundsville to West Virginians,” Miller said. “We hope the movie inspires pride in the region, shows that Americans can still come together for shared narratives and sparks healthy conversations about the future that are free of poisonous national politics.”
After premiering in Moundsville in December, 2018, the film this year has been distributed online, on Vimeo, and screened publicly in New York City, Pittsburgh, and various locations in West Virginia. In 2019, it was acquired by The National Educational Telecommunications Association.
In The Atlantic, James Fallows called it “fresh and valuable.” In endorsing the film, West Virginia Council of Teachers of English co-director Jessica Salfia called it “refreshing change from the extraction narratives that delivered us Hillbilly Elegy.”
Moundsville
Moundsville is the biography of a classic American town in the age of President Trump. Told through the voices of residents, it sidesteps clichés — like opioids, coal, and Trump — and traces the town’s story from the Native American burial mound it’s named after, through the rise and fall of industry — including giants like Fostoria glass and the Marx toy plant (Rock’em Sock’em robots!) — to the age of Walmart and shale gas, and a new generation that’s figuring it all out. By reckoning with deeper truths about the heartland and its economy, without nationalist nostalgia or liberal condescension, Moundsville plants seeds for better conversations about America’s future. We’re screening, and hosting discussions, at theaters, museums, libraries, unions and cultural centers.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting is to educate, inform and inspire our people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development.
John W. Miller (co-director)
John W. Miller is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experiences in print, radio, TV and film. As a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Miller reported from 45 countries and covered global mining and global trade, elections, trade negotiations, the World Cup and Tour de France. Miller also has reported and written for Time, America, Heated, NPR, Buzzfeed, the Baltimore Sun, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and serves as chief economic analyst of Trade Data Monitor. Moundsville is his first film.
David Bernabo (co-director)
David Bernabo is a filmmaker, musician, dancer, visual artist, and writer, performing with the bands Host Skull, Watererer, and How Things Are Made; devising dances with his variable dance company, MODULES; and often collaborating with Maree ReMalia | merrygogo. He curates and produces work for the Ongoing Box imprint and co-curates the Lightlab Performance Series with slowdanger. Bernabo’s films have screened at the On Art Film Festival, JFilm Festival, Re:NEW Festival, Afronaut(a) Film Club, the Foodable Film Festival, and on WQED’s Filmmakers Corner.
The National Educational Telecommunications Association
The NETA Program Service distributes quality documentaries and specials to 338 public television stations across the country. With member stations and independent producers as our partners, we celebrate diverse voices and unique perspectives representing every state in the country and share those stories with a national audience.
For more information or receive a digital copy of the film, contact John W. Miller on 412-298-0391 or jmjournalist@gmail.com – Info&reviews: Moundsville.org