More Than A Television Series - A Grassroots Movement That Gives Young People A Chance To Map Out Their Futures By Talking To People Who Have Found Their Own Paths In Life Premieres Friday, September 1 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS Stations. "So, what do you want to do with your life?" Sooner or later, the question confronts nearly every young person. And pre-packaged answers abound. "You should be a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant, a consultant ...." But there is another option. Set your own course. Explore the path not yet taken. Hit the open road and find your true calling ... somewhere between rest stops. That's the philosophy that drives ROADTRIP NATION - a grassroots movement that encourages students to hit the road in search of interviews with people who have designed their own routes through life: entrepreneurs, entertainers, scientists, artists - eclectic individuals who have resisted pressures to conform and who have become successful by following their own paths. This remarkable movement has spawned a fast-moving, free-spirited documentary series that follows the adventures and discoveries of roadtripping students as they criss-cross the nation in search of enlightenment. ROADTRIP NATION, a weekly half-hour series presented by Thirteen/WNET New York, premieres Friday, September 1 at 9:30 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). A Movement Is Born ROADTRIP NATION began in 2001 when three 20-something college grads â Mike Marriner, Nathan Gebhard and Brian McAllister - took a detour from the prescribed route in life. Rather than head on to the graduate schools and jobs that were waiting for them, they maxed out their credit cards to buy a 31-foot RV, which they painted day-glo green, and set off on a journey that would change their lives. Their destination? To speak with people who had defied conventional career paths to pursue their own visions, and who, in the process became both successful and fulfilled. During their 17,000-mile, three-month odyssey, they met with 82 self-made individuals - from winemaker Robert Mondavi to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; from Saturday Night Live Director Beth McCarthy Miller to a Maine lobsterman named Manny. The interviewees revealed their secrets for shaking off society's pressure to conform and explained how they devised their own ways to spend their lives doing what they love. Inspired to share their experiences, the group wrote a book and produced a pilot documentary. (They videotaped all their interviews.) The exposure they received sparked a movement on college campuses. Soon students from all over were hitting the road to interview leaders from all walks of life and share their experiences through the growing Roadtrip Nation Network. A movement was born. A year later, a new group of students took the original RV on their own trip, interviewing the artistic director of Cirque du Soleil, the CEO of Levi Strauss Co., minister of San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church, and many others. By 2004, with the movement spreading to college campuses nationwide, two more RVs had joined the fleet and three epic roadtrips took place simultaneously. Following different routes across the country, the three groups - including one all-female trio - spoke with such luminaries as the founder of Samuel Adams Brewery, the executive director of Greenpeace USA, the chancellor of the New York City public school system, and more. Roadtrip Nation Goes International and Comes to PBS for 2006 In the summer of 2005, the ROADTRIP NATION fleet took to the road again. As they traveled a collective 40,000 miles across America and collected 120 revealing interviews, their experiences were captured for the new weekly PBS series starting in September 2006. For the first time, students from other countries were included in the roadtrips, with teams from the United Kingdom and Canada joining one from the United States. * The U.K. Team. Simon, Matt and Matt are from Leeds College, just south of London. They're a passionate and fun team - never afraid to drive a 36-foot RV on the wrong side of the road or spontaneously interview a truck driver in the middle of Texas. They can often be found on top of the RV at sunset, strumming guitars and taking photos. * The Canadian Team. Mike, Laura and Coby are from McGill University in Montreal. They're curious and inquisitive - always inspired to ask the deep, reflective questions. They can be found logging late-night drives behind the wheel, letting the experiences of the day sink in, and are always eager to arrive at the next destination. * The American Team. Sarafina, David and Cathe from UC Boulder, are the youngest and most excited of the teams. Everything is like new to them - the middle of America, the snow-capped Rockies, a surprising interview, or a late-night breakdown. They can often be found bathing in random bodies of water. Each week ROADTRIP NATION will follow the three teams as they travel to new cities and towns, pursue leads, and try to make contact with an eclectic group of fascinating figures in a wide range of fields. Among the interviews they capture are: * Hip-Hop Mogul Damon Dash * New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly * Iron Chef Rob Feenie * Comedian Wanda Sykes * Architect Richard Meier * ?uestlove, drummer for The Roots * Lance Armstrong's Manager * An independent truck driver * an Outer Banks park ranger * a Yosemite mountain guide * Kevin Close, CEO of National Public Radio * David Neeleman, CEO of Jet Blue Airlines * and many others. Along the way, viewers will come to know the students as they experience the ups and downs of life on the road, share experiences with their traveling companions, and reflect on how the journey is challenging them to stay true to themselves amidst the noise and pressure they encounter in college. The Roadtrip Nation Movement Beyond The Screen Roadtrip Nation has become a student movement on campuses across the country. To provide opportunities for students to take their own roadtrips and to discover their own paths in life, Roadtrip Nation has partnered with 100 college career centers across the country to run experiential learning programs: Behind the Wheel. Each spring students apply for the opportunity to hit the road in one of three Roadtrip Nation Green RVs. The interviews they conduct become the core of the Roadtrip Nation public television series. Roadtrip Grants. Roadtrip Nation offers grants to hundreds of students to launch their own roadtrip initiatives. Roadtrip Nation Curriculum. High school and college educators have implemented courses in which students research, arrange and conduct interviews. Roadtrip Nation has also released three companion books: Roadtrip Nation - a guide to discovering your path in life (Ballantine Books / Random House, 2003); Destination Unknown â define your own road in life (Roadtrip Productions, 2004); and Finding the Open Road â a guide to self construction rather than mass production (Ten Speed Press, 2005). The hub for the Roadtrip Nation movement is â an informational and community-building Web site where students who have hit the road, with or without a Roadtrip Grant, can create their own Web pages within the Roadtrip Nation community where they can upload their daily logs, interview transcriptions, travel photos and roadtrip coordinates.
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