Barbara Pyle
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Barbara Y. E. Pyle (born August 22, 1947) is an American executive producer, filmmaker and
environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...
. She co-created and served as the executive producer on the animated series ''
Captain Planet and the Planeteers ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'', commonly referred to as simply ''Captain Planet'', is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom B ...
'' and is the founder of the Captain Planet Foundation. She is currently a supporter and driving force for the Planeteer Movement, a worldwide effort of fans of the series to raise environmental awareness, based on the values of its main character, Captain Planet.


Film career


Executive producer

Barbara Pyle first met
Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
in 1980 when she was photographing the America's Cup for ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine and the media mogul was helming the '' Courageous'' for the last time. Turner, impressed with Pyle's media savvy and commitment to environmental issues, hired her as Vice President of Environmental Policy at TBS. Pyle served over two decades in this role and was responsible for creation of the Turner Environment Division and setting the company's environmental broadcast agenda. Pyle branded TBS as the Environmental Network. Simultaneously, she was
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's environmental editor where she introduced and oversaw environmental news reporting and programming on both CNN and TBS. As one of the first environmental corporate executives, she championed
Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate social impact is a form of international private business industry self-regulation, self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropy, philanthropic, activist, or chari ...
(CSR) policies and initiatives company-wide and set the standards for energy efficiency, recycling and carpooling with her department's award-winning Clean Air Commute program. While at CNN/TBS, Pyle introduced and oversaw environmental coverage, including ''Earth Matters'', a daily environmental news show which premiered on CNN in 1981 and launched "CNN's World Report", which featured international journalists presenting breaking news from their countries vis-à-vis their local perspective. With
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
serving as host, Pyle executive produced the award-winning show ''People Count'' which put a face on global issues addressed by a series of
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
summits.


Media activist

In 1980, after she read '' The Global 2000 Report to the President'' commissioned by Jimmy Carter's presidential administration, Pyle committed herself to bring global concerns to the forefront of public attention. Pyle has worked with and built collaborative relationships between major environmental groups such as the
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
,
National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization in the United States, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (i ...
,
National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
, and
Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicag ...
. Pyle's activism was grounded in media production. Her 35-part documentary series ''People Count'', hosted by Jane Fonda, profiled everyday people from around the world working to address issues of sustainable development, population, and the rights of women and native peoples. Pyle traveled around the world to film this series, acting both as executive producer and reporter. ''People Count'' aired domestically on CNN and TBS, and internationally on CNN International. To extend the audience further, ''People Count'' segments were distributed free through an international distribution program that reached broadcasters in over 180 countries with a potential viewing audience of two billion. Broadcast to more than 80 countries and viewed by more than one billion people, Pyle's film ''The Day of Five Billion'', co-produced with the
United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a United Nations System, UN agency aimed at improving reproductive health, reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, incr ...
(UNFPA), featured original music videos by renowned artists from around the world combined with mini-documentaries and messages from international leaders and futurist authors. ''The Day of Five Billion'' featured a video representing the birth of the five billionth person on earth. Participating in the film were world leaders such as President of Costa Rica
Óscar Arias Óscar Arias Sánchez (; born 13 September 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010. Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize ...
, Prime Minister of Norway
Gro Harlem Brundtland Gro Brundtland (; née Harlem, 20 April 1939) is a Norwegian politician in the Labour Party, who served three terms as the prime minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, and 1990–1996), as the leader of her party from 1981 to 1992, and as the d ...
, President of Indonesia
Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
, Chinese Premier
Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang; pronounced (17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He served as the 3rd premier of China from 1980 to 1987, as vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1982, and as the CCP general ...
, as well as music legends
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
,
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
,
Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...
,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
,
The Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...
,
Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...
,
Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 â€“ June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American saxophonist. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Clemons rel ...
,
Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul and funk. Active as a session mus ...
,
Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Ma ...
,
Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...
and renowned authors
Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ;  â€“ April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
,
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...
, and
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
amongst many others. This celebration expanded into the annually celebrated
World Population Day World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was ...
. The film received numerous accolades, including a ''Population Institute Global Media Award'', a ''CINDY Award'' from the International Association of Audio Visual Communicators (IAAVC), a ''
Silver Hugo Award The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the compo ...
'' as well as nominations for '' CableACE'' and ''
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
'' awards. Pyle's ''Without Borders'' expanded her distribution network to 127 countries and included a satellite grant from Intelsat. Her film ''One Child - One Voice'' was the centerpiece of the United Nations' Save the Earth media campaign. This film initiated a letter-writing campaign in support of the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The film was distributed to over 100 countries and more than one million 'leaf postcards' were received from around the world for the Tree of Life in Rio. For her professional work, humanitarian efforts and activism, Barbara has received dozens of personal commendations. Then Secretary-General of the United Nations
Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
, when presenting the United Nations Sasakawa Award to Pyle, remarked: "For more than two decades, Barbara Pyle has encouraged the media to assume a major responsibility for informing and educating the public, including decision makers. Pyle has brought environmental issues closer to the hearts and minds of people the world over. As a writer, director and producer of numerous television programs, she has inspired countless individuals to care about the environment and to take responsibility for its protection."


Captain Planet

In 1989, Pyle and
Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
together conceived the series ''
Captain Planet and the Planeteers ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'', commonly referred to as simply ''Captain Planet'', is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom B ...
''. Pyle and her team, which consisted of Nick Boxer and
Thom Beers Thom Beers (born July 20, 1952) is an American television producer and narrator/voice-over artist. Career Beers, a former producer and executive with Turner Broadcasting System, Turner Broadcasting and Paramount Syndicated Television, has produc ...
, intended to produce an animated series that could yield a generation of environmentally-literate youth. The characters on the show became the world's first eco-superheroes. Pyle based the five Planeteers on real-life people who inspired her during the show's pre-production, in 1989. The series launched in September 1990 and ran for six seasons with a total of 113 episodes. Featuring celebrity voices such as
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...
,
LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
,
Meg Ryan Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra (born November 19, 1961), known by her stage name Meg Ryan, is an American actress. Known for her leading roles as quirky, charismatic women since the late 1980s, Ryan is particularly recognized for her work in ...
,
Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...
,
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
,
Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...
,
John Ratzenberger John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)About John
from Ratzenberger's official website
is an Americ ...
,
Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
, and
Dean Stockwell Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he appeared in '' Anchors Aweigh'' (1945), '' ...
, the series was met with critical acclaim and became massively popular amongst youth. The series was No. 1 in
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
for five consecutive years, was syndicated in 220 U.S. markets and aired in over 100 countries. Pyle required that the series' merchandising was made sustainably. The series first season was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on April 19, 2011, and a feature film has been announced by
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
, which, as of November 2019 and despite further attempts in 2013 and 2016, has not yet come to any results. Despite this, the series came back on TV in 2017, via a crossover episode of '' OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'' entitled "The Power Is Yours", after one of Captain Planet's catchphrases. Many of the voice actors reprised their roles from the show.


Captain Planet Foundation

Using a percentage of ''Captain Planet'' merchandising proceeds, Pyle founded the Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) to put the messages of the show into practice. Its mission was to teach young people to respect the planet through hands-on experiences. Today, the CPF awards grants to various projects that promote environmental awareness, teamwork, and community building. Pyle served as the CPF's chairman of the board from 1991 to 2001. She currently has a seat on the board of directors and chairs its media committee.


Planeteer Movement

The Planeteer Movement is a worldwide gathering of young people who work to put the show's messages into practice. Fans would self identify as Planeteers to Pyle, relating their personal tales of the series' effect on their lives. Inspired and humbled by the global impact of the show, in 2009 Pyle began investigating how she could connect the large number of fans with each other through the Internet. In two years of seeking out social media experts and serving on various panels, Barbara constructed a team that began work on what would become the Planeteer Movement. In honor of Captain Planet's 20th anniversary, in 2010 the Planeteer team built a website and created a social media presence for fans of the series. The team aimed to blend fan service with environmental innovation and give fans around the world the chance to tell their Planeteer story, connect with others, and promote their environmental service projects and experiences that intend to lead to a
sustainable future Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General Assembly (1987)''Report of the ...
. Barbara continues to attend high-level conferences, host meetups and introduce real-life Planeteers to each other to sustain the movement's growth. With half a million fans and dozens of Planeteer Networks worldwide, Pyle sees the movement as a force for positive change in the 21st century.


Photojournalism

Prior to her two decades with TBS/CNN, Barbara Pyle was a photojournalist producing photo essays for
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, both nationally and locally in New York. She has three ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine covers to her credit and has been a major contributor to ten books. She has traveled the world as a photojournalist and filmmaker in over 100 countries, to capture the human spirit in film. Pyle has photographed major news, events and personalities. One of her most famous subjects is
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording ...
. She documented their work in the studio as they created their breakthrough album ''
Born to Run ''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. Co- produced by Springsteen with his manager Mike Appel and the producer Jon Landau, its recordin ...
'' and accompanied them on the tour, photographing them at the beginning of their meteoric rise to stardom. In 2009, in association with ''Photographers Against Hunger'', Pyle donated two of her rarely seen photos of Springsteen and the band to benefit the New Jersey Food Bank, a pet cause of the iconic singer. Pyle donated ''Dawn Rehearsal'', a rarely seen black and white portrait of the exhausted band after a 3-day recording session before embarking on the ''Born to Run'' tour. The second donated photo, ''My Home Town'', was taken in 1975 after leaving Pyle's childhood home in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.


Philanthropist

After leaving CNN/TBS, Pyle concentrated on running the Barbara Pyle Foundation (BPF) which she established in 1997 with the financial portion of her Sasakawa Prize. The mission of the BPF is to harness the power of positive media communication to make a better world. BPF supports environmental programs and projects that improve the well-being of marginalized peoples. In the past, BPF has awarded grants for projects focused on sustainability and empowerment of women. Currently, BPF has implemented an invitation-only grant making policy. Pyle cofounded Earth Secure with writer Marc Barasch and one of their first projects was One Child - One Voice which conveyed the plea to protect the planet in the voice of five children from around the world to promote the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit). To encourage world leaders to participate in the summit and raise awareness of the issues, Earth Secure initiated a Tree of Life campaign. Over a million people worldwide sent postcards with a leaf drawn on them to serve as a call to action to their leaders. These postcards were hung from an enormous Tree of Life as a visual testament of support for the Earth Summit's goals and a reminder to its delegates that the world's voice was with them.


Executive board work

Pyle serves on various boards of philanthropic organizations such as: *Captain Planet Foundation, (chair of brand and media committee) *
Mother Nature Network Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) was a news and information website focused on sustainability and ranked by Alexa Internet as the most visited for-profit website in the world in its environmental category. It was labeled "the green CNN" by Time m ...
, (board of advisors) *
Population Media Center Population Media Center (PMC) is an entertainment organization dedicated to women's rights and empowerment, population stabilization, and the environment. PMC's headquarters staff and offices are located throughout the United States and abroad, i ...
, (board of advisors) * Counterpart International (advisory committee) * GreenLaw (advisory board) In the past, Pyle worked with: * World Business Council for Sustainable Development - WBCSD - (Represented
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
/
Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
) *
The Bellagio Center The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller ("Seni ...
, Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development - BFSD - (honorary board member) *
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
, North American advisory board *
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
, United States committee member


Reproductive rights

In July 1971, Pyle and Dr. Horace Hale Harvey III opened the
Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health (CRASH), at the time the largest freestanding abortion clinic in the world, opened in New York City after New York legalized abortion in 1970. It was run for a time by Bernard Nathanson. CRASH was ordered ...
in New York City.Davis, Tom
''Sacred Work: Planned Parenthood and Its Clergy Alliances''
Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Pub ...
, 2005, 245 pages, p 134,
The clinic was, at the time, the largest free-standing abortion facility in the world and the opening was scheduled to coincide with the first day that abortion up to 24 weeks became legal under a newly enacted New York State law. Pyle served as the clinic's first administrator.''Aborting America'', Bernard Nathanson, Pinnacle Books, 1981


References


External links

*
Barbara Pyle Foundation
official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyle, Barbara Filmmakers from Oklahoma American environmentalists American women environmentalists American television show creators Living people 21st-century American women 1955 births