Genealogy Programs Sprouting on Television

Woohoo! Genealogy is becoming popular in the world of television programming. Here's a rundown:

Who Do You Think You Are?

We know that "Who Do You Think You Are?" is back in production, to resume on cable channel TLC. We will be welcoming Alexandra Orton and other members of the production team to the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, as they join us for the Friday evening banquet.


Family Tree - Premiers on Sunday, May 2

Next, there's Family Tree, a new program with genealogy as the basic plot line. However, it's not your typical study-a-family's-history format. This is a comedy that is described as:

Down on his luck in love and life, having recently lost his job and girlfriend, 30-year-old Tom Chadwick has an unsure sense of his own identity. But when he inherits a mysterious box, Tom starts investigating his lineage and uncovers a world of unusual stories and characters, acquiring a growing sense of who he and his entire family are. [We can certainly relate to unusual stories and characters, right?]

FAMILY TREE kicks off its eight-episode season SUNDAY, MAY 12 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other episodes subsequent Sundays at the same time. The producer is Christopher Guest, who is responsible for such comedy gems as "Best in Show and "A Mighty Wind."

If you don't mind spoilers, you can read the episode summaries at http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/family-tree-new-hbo-show-28000/


Genealogy Roadshow

A casting call is out for a new PBS program called Genealogy Roadshow. The casting call reads:

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY?

The groundbreaking Documentary Series “Genealogy Roadshow” will be in AUSTIN, NASHVILLE, SAN FRANCISCO, and DETROIT reuniting families with long lost relatives, and answering questions about their past, their history, and their lineage. Do you have a Family mystery you would like solved? Is there a missing piece or person in your family tree you’ve always wondered about? Do you believe you might be connected in some way to our Nation’s rich history, folk lore, our founding fathers, or a famous person?

If so, we’d love to hear from you! For your chance to be on the show please email us your name, contact info, your story, and someone from the casting department will get back to you!

Please note that the full instructions for registering, including creating an account and signing in, can be found at http://www.realitywanted.com/call/24410-casting-pbss-genealogy-roadshow#.UXrbQMoWdOx

Jamboree Update - Friday Night Banquet with WDYTYA?

Join us at the Friday evening banquet with "Behind the Scenes with WDYTYA - Who Do You Think You Are?"

The popular family history television program is back in production and Season 4 will be appearing on a new cable channel (to be announced). The program has been lauded as the current upswing in interest in family history.

Get a peek behind the scenes with a key member of the production team, Alexandra Orton, Producer and Research Manager for "Who Do You Think You Are?"

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Allie began work as a researcher on the first U.S. season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" in 2008. She is currently a producer and research manager for the series, overseeing research development, coordinating communication between Ancestry.com and the research staff, and shepherding the stories to completion. Two of Allie's coworkers will also attend (to be announced soon).

 Lisa Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems will moderate a question-and-answer segment. Banquet guests will be able to ask question during the presentation. To submit a question in advance, send an email to jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com and put "WDYTYA Question" in the subject line. Regrettably, Allie and the other production team members will not be able to answer questions about a specific family's research.

While it's not likely that executive producers Lisa Kudrow or Dan Bucatinsky will be able to attend due to the production schedule, you will still enjoy a delightful evening with the team from WDYTYA. 

Check out all our special events. You'll find a link to order tickets for this meal as well as others.

The Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will be held June Friday through Sunday, 7-9, 2013, at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. The pre-event, "Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013" will be held on Thursday, June 6.

The special record type emphasis is military records. We will focus on African American research as our ethnic focus.

Learn all about Jamboree at genealogyjamboree.com.