Who's That Gal: Marisa Wolsky, Executive Producer at WGBH

Name: Marisa Wolsky
Age: 52
Occupation: Children’s Media Producer
Currently living in: Somerville, MA
Hometown: Winchester, MA
Currently reading: Topeka School by Ben Lerner
Favorite healthy habit: Meal prep for the week and my workout buddy
I never leave home without: a water bottle

Congrats on 30 years at WGBH! Tell us a little bit about your career path with the public media producer. How did you come to be an Executive Producer?

I started working at WGBH almost straight out of college. I had one job in between as an Executive Assistant for Henry Hampton, the genius behind the Eyes on the Prize documentary series. Prior to that, I had interned at WGBH and the Children’s Television Workshop, now called Sesame Workshop and had written my college theses on Sesame Street and how it came out of the political and social climate of the sixties. I started at WGBH as a production secretary. We were just starting to use computers so there was a lot more administrative work on TV productions. I started working on a live action and animated anthology series called Long Ago & Far Away, which we billed as a mini Masterpiece Theater for kids. Then, I did a stint at NOVA, the WGBH-produced science documentary series. After that, I worked in educational outreach to devise ways for teachers to use the NOVA documentary film series that I had worked on. Then, I got back to my true love, children’s TV production, and worked my way up the ranks from associate producer to producer to senior producer. I worked on Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego, Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego, ZOOM and PEEP and the Big Wide World. I became an Executive Producer when I created and got funding for my own show, Design Squad.

Many of our readers are “millennials”—a generation known for jumping from job to job. What do you see as the advantages (and disadvantages) of staying with the same employer throughout much of your career?

One reason I haven’t jumped from job to job is that, in children’s programming, every project is a new challenge. I’ve worked on game shows, studio production, reality TV, short form videos, animation and others.

You recently launched a new interactive game and video series for PBS Kids. What is Scribbles and Ink?

Scribbles and Ink is a character-driven, integrated game and video series targeted to 4-8 year-olds that allows kids to discover the utter joy of using paint, brush, crayon and pencil to propel their way through an adventure. The project features Scribbles – a cat – and Ink – a mouse. As artists, they are great hosts for an integrated game/video experience that focuses on drawing.

The Scribbles and Ink experience begins, either on the PBS KIDS games app or at pbskids.org, at the Hub. Randomized animations of Scribbles and Ink prompt kids to use digital paints, crayons and markers for a free drawing experience. When kids are ready for an adventure, they can go to a Story room and click on a photographic object – an umbrella, balloon, planet, or box – for the integrated game/video experience that follows. Scribbles and Ink currently has four stories. Each story is self-contained and is designed to let the players determine their own pace: play and replay, draw and draw again, as they like. The open-ended nature of the art creation process ensures repeatable play, and the modular ecosystem allows for content to be expanded.

Standalone videos and printable activities further encourage kids to think of themselves as artists. Inspired by Ed Emberley, a children’s book author/illustrator whose step-by-step instructions helped kids learn how to draw, three standalone videos, which are viewable on multiple platforms, feature Scribbles and Ink guiding viewers through a “draw along with me” experience. And, six printable activities promote offline art making with specific drawing prompts from Scribbles and Ink.

What inspired you to help create this series?

Two things: one was the incredible source material - the interactive game and video series are based on the Scribbles and Ink books by author/illustrator Ethan Long. The other is to meet the challenge of bridging the storytelling and digital landscape so that animated segments are seamlessly integrated with interactive segments and the player is able to be part of the story and influence what happens.

What does your typical day look like?

Like with a lot of jobs, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, reviewing content, answering emails and staying on top of deliverables. Sprinkled throughout my day are meetings, both internal and with various partners. I do like that my day has many different flavors to it since I work on a variety of projects.

What would you say are the essential attributes of a successful producer of children’s entertainment?

Surrounding yourself with people who are smarter and more creative that you are in particular areas, people who bring different expertise to the table. There is no “i” in “team”. And always stepping back to ask, “what will kids find fun about this content? What will kids learn from this? Will kids understand this?” And then, of course, does the project resonate with you?

Any tips for those interested in pursuing a career in television?

Get as much first-hand experience as you can, whether that be interning or developing/making your own projects. There is a lot of administrative work required to produce a TV show. Be open to doing that work and figure out ways to get it done efficiently. When you are eager and demonstrate attention to detail and the ability to multitask, the people you work for will be willing to give you more interesting projects and allow you to have more agency.

How do you balance your career and personal life?

I have one kid in college and one in high school and they are both fairly autonomous now! When they were younger, it was challenging. I am lucky to have parents who live locally and were very supportive of my career, who always pitched in when kids were sick, and a husband with whom I shared an equal division of household labor (e.g., he does the laundry and I cook). I did have to give up reading books for a long time (luckily I got that back) and I had to exercise at 6am (which I still do!)

What’s next for you at WGBH? How can we follow your work?

I am producing a second season of Scribbles and Ink, and I am developing a new animated TV show and a series of live action shorts. You can follow my work on LinkedIn and at wgbh.org/kids.

Cameron Bruns Ewing is the managing editor of Just Us Gals. She’s working to make the tech industry more inclusive at Hubspot and is also pursuing a degree in environmental sustainability from University College Dublin