Meet the Think Tank team

Andrew Walworth – Executive Producer

Andrew Walworth is president and founder of New River Media, Inc. Over the past 25 years, he has designed, written and produced a number of critically acclaimed series, specials and documentaries. Currently, he is executive producer of three public television series: Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg, Moneywise with Kelvin Boston and Wine, Food & Friends with Karen MacNeil. He was executive producer of the PBS documentary miniseries Heaven on Earth: The Rise & Fall of Socialism. His recent documentaries and specials include Traveling Smart With Rudy Maxa (2002), The Big Band Sound of WWII (2001), The First Measured Century (2000), Yogi Berra: Déjà vu All Over Again (1999) and The Stockholder Society (1999). In 2002-2003, he was a consultant for primetime scheduling of PBS YOU, the PBS digital channel. During his tenure, carriage increased by 80 percent to more than 45 million households, and viewer-ship more than tripled. In 2004 he served as a member of the Arab Media Working Group of the US Institute for Peace, examining issues related to journalism and public diplomacy. Before founding New River Media, Mr. Walworth produced the PBS series American Interests and Techno Politics. He also produced the weekly financial series Money Politics hosted by Jim Glassman for WJLA/7 and the interview series What I’ve Learned for the Learning Channel. Mr. Walworth has been a consultant to numerous media organizations, including Liberty Media, Reader’s Digest, Maryland Public Television, Houghton Mifflin, the PBS Business Channel, the PBS Adult Learning Service, PBS You, The McLaughlin Group, and the Voice of America.

John Sorensen – Senior Producer

John Sorensen is the Senior Producer of the award-winning PBS weekly series Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg. He is also a producer on the public television series Wine, Food & Friends with Karen MacNeil. He acted as Coordinating Producer for the PBS miniseries Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism. John produced the one-hour PBS special The Giving Boom: How the New Philanthropy Will Change America and was a writer and producer on New River's three hour PBS special The First Measured Century. Before joining New River, John worked in Chicago as a writer, producer, and editor on several documentaries for A&E television including the series American Justice and Biography. His two-hour special J. Edgar Hoover: Personal and Confidential won a Bronze Chris Award at the 1999 Columbus International Film Festival. He has also produced several independent documentaries including The Road to Yucca Mountain, a look at the proposed nuclear waste storage site near Las Vegas. Prior to working in television, John taught English in rural Japan. He received a BA in International Service from American University in Washington, D.C. and an MFA in Film from Columbia College Chicago.

Matthew Faraci – Producer

Matthew Faraci is the producer of Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg on PBS. He also produced the recent Think Tank special, North Korea: The Nuclear Threat and was a producer on the series Wine, Food, and Friends with Karen MacNeil. He came to New River Media from The McLaughlin Group, where he was the producer of John McLaughlin’s One on One and a contributing writer and producer with The McLaughlin Group. Matthew moved to Washington from Los Angeles where he taught U.S. History at University High School after he worked as a producer for a startup Internet media company. He was also a comedic writer and performer. Matthew is a graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.

Chris Kilmer - Associate Producer

Chris Kilmer is the Associate Producer of the PBS weekly series Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg. Before joining New River, Chris worked in the communications department at the Cato Institute in Washington, where he co-produced a monthly audio magazine, Cato Audio. Chris graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Political Science.

Christina Mazzanti – Director of Marketing

Christina Mazzanti brings a broad range of marketing experience to the company. During her 14 years with PBS, she created and managed the campaigns for a number of national launches, including Ken Burns’ The Civil War, The Teletubbies and Living Edens. She is the recipient of a PROMAX Gold Medallion, an International Monitor award, several awards from the New York Festivals and an Education Press Association award. She also has an extensive background in production management, working as the Director of Production for the Cronkite Ward Company and as Director of Creative Services with Team Creative Services of Washington, D.C.
As Director of Marketing for New River Media, Christina is responsible for press relations, broadcast promotion, publicity, media placements, bookings and event planning for NRM original series and specials including Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg, Wine, Food & Friends with Karen MacNeil, and Moneywise with Kelvin Boston.