Questar, Inc. (Questar Entertainment) is a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-based digital, streaming OTT, production, acquisition and distribution company. Questar Entertainment launched two divisions: Cow Lamp Films in 2018, the company’s independent features division, and GoTraveler in 2019, a streaming channel and VOD app digital linear travel channel and free, advertiser- supported video on demand (AVOD) service.

History

Albert Nader, a former

Rand McNally Rand McNally is an American technology and publishing company that provides mapping software and hardware for consumer electronics, commercial transportation, and education markets. The company is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois with a di ...

employee, founded Questar in 1980 as The Travel Network; it took on the name Questar in 1985 after expanding beyond travel films. Under Nader, the company primarily released programs related to travel, history, and the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, some of which were broadcast on television channels such as

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

. Nader died of a heart attack in December 2016 while on vacation in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

Content

Content library

Questar Entertainment has produced approximately 100 original programs for

Pureflix Great American Pure Flix, formerly Pure Flix and sometimes stylized as Pureflix, is an American Christian media subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Great American Media and Sony Pictures. History The service was first establish ...

, the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...

, the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

, and

PAX TV Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American terrestrial television, broadcast television network and Free ad-supported streaming television, FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scri ...

. Original titles include ''Touring Civil War Battlefields'', ''The Dark'', ''The Dream Motel'', ''Real Pirates'', and ''Where Jesus Walked''. Licensed titles distributed by Questar Entertainment include ''

Rick Steves' Europe ''Rick Steves' Europe'' is an American travel documentary television program created and hosted by Rick Steves. In each episode, he travels to the continent of Europe, documenting his experiences along the way. The show is produced by Oregon Pu ...

''; '' Mexico: One Plate at a Time'', with

Rick Bayless Rick Bayless (born November 23, 1953) is an American chef and restaurateur who specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. He is widely known for his PBS series '' Mexico: One Plate at a Time''. Among his various acc ...

; '' A Cook's Tour'', with

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...

; ''

Women of the House ''Women of the House'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' Designing Women'' that aired on CBS from January 4 to August 18, 1995, and the last four episodes airing on Lifetime on September 8, 1995. The series starred ...

'', a spin-off of ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS between September 29, 1986 and May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomas ...

''; '' The Tribe''; ''

The New Adventures of Black Beauty ''The New Adventures of Black Beauty'' is a television drama series produced in the early 1990s. The programme, was produced first in New Zealand, then in Australia. The two different productions had different characters and plotlines, unrelat ...

''; ''

The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson ''The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson'' is a 1998 family adventure series that originally aired on Pax. Based on the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' by Johann David Wyss, it follows the adventures of nine survivors of a shipwreck ...

''; ''

My Classic Car ''My Classic Car'' is a television show about classic automobiles, hosted by Dennis Gage. It was originally broadcast on TNN, and Speed Channel, followed by MAVtv and Velocity. As of 2019 the show airs on the Motor Trend network. It was produc ...

''; and '' It's a Miracle''.

''The Dream Motel''

''The Dream Motel'' is an original series produced by Questar Entertainment and Rossetti Productions. It was first released on

in October 2019. The series is about a motel where the guests have a chance to change their past, present, or their future. The show’s creator, Chip Rossetti, described the show as "a cross between ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'' and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

''." The second season was released on October 1, 2021 on Pureflix.

Divisions

Cow Lamp Films

Cow Lamp Films is the independent features division of Questar Entertainment. Cow Lamp Films focuses on diverse creative leaders in the midwest and beyond and also produces and distributes regional and international films and tv for an audience via major streaming platforms and cable television. The company is planning to release some of their films in theaters as well.

Films

*''Olympia'' (2018), debuted at L.A. Film Festival *''

Thieves Quartet ''Thieves Quartet'' is a 1993 American thriller film directed by Joe Chappelle and starring Michele Cole and James Denton. Premise In Chicago, four desperate criminals kidnap a businessman's daughter, only to find their plans unravel. Cast *Phil ...

'' (1993) written and directed by

Joe Chappelle Joseph Chappelle is an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television. He is perhaps best known for his work on the critically acclaimed HBO series ''The Wire'', where he directed six episodes and served as co-executive p ...

(''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'', '' CSI: Miami'') *'' Rendezvous in Chicago'' (2018) *''The View From Tall'' (2016) *''Ginger'' (2018) *''Blacksmith'' (2019) *''A House is Not a Home: Wright or Wrong'' (2020) *''Driftless'' (2020) *''Community Theater Christmas'' (2020) *''Chicago Heights'' (2009) *''Banana Season'' (2020) *''Quarter Life Crisis'' (2017) *''Close Quarters'' (2012) *''Open Tables'' (2015) *''Animator'' (2018) *''Little Red'' (2012) *''Back at the Staircase'' (2018) *''The Law of Moises'' (2019) *''Skippers'' (2018) *''Empty Space'' (2016) *''Agents Unknown'' (2019) *''Something Out of Nothing'' (2019) *''Dear Coward on the Moon'' (2017) *''Skeletons in the Closet'' (2018) *''The Curators of Dixon School'' (2019) *''Welcome to Unity'' (2018) *''Hidden'' (2016) *''The Glass House'' (2014) *''Manlife'' (2017) *''Festival: A Documentary'' (2018)

GoTraveler

GoTraveler is a travel streaming channel and app digital linear travel channel and free, advertiser-supported video on demand (AVOD) service. GoTraveler content can be streamed through a number of desktop, mobile and internet-connected TV platforms including

Android TV Android TV is an operating system that runs on smart TVs and related entertainment devices including soundbars, set-top boxes, and digital media players. Developed by Google, it is a closed-source Android distribution. Android TV features a u ...

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

Amazon Fire TV Amazon Fire TV (formerly stylized as amazon fireTV) is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon since November 2014. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed v ...

Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of consumer electronics that includes streaming players, smart TVs (and their operating systems), as well as a free TV streaming service. The brand is owned by Roku, Inc., an American company. As of 2024, Roku is the U ...

Vizio Vizio is an American designer of televisions, soundbars, and related software and accessories owned by Walmart since 2024. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Irvine, California.Lawton, Christopher, Iwatani Kane, Yukari and Dean, J ...

SmartCast, and

Plex (company) Plex Inc. is an American software company that runs its namesake Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Free ad-supported streaming television, ad-supported streaming television service and develops media server software that lets users stream ...

. GoTraveler is currently producing a new original TV show called Curbside Eats which is centered around takeout and curbside cuisine.

Films

*''Village of Swimming Cows'' (2018) *''Christmas in America's National Parks'' (2012) *''Wild National Parks'' (2012) *''Yosemite: America's Treasure'' (2008) *''Best of the National Parks'' (2004) *''Hidden'' (2016) *''Best of the Big Easy'' (2002) *''Running of the Bulls'' (2012)

Series

*''Rick Steves' Europe'', Seasons 7 & 8 (2012-2014) *''Porthole Cruise and Travel Show Hosted by Bill Panoff:'', (2024) *''AmbienceTV'' (2020- ) *''Savour Australia'' (2015) *''Mythical Roads'' (2010) *''Discovering the World'' (1996-2016) *''Laura McKenzie's Traveler'' (2012) *''Back Roads USA'' (2013) *''Under the Pole'' (2020) *''Cuba, Embracing its Future'' (2020) *''

Grannies on Safari Grannies may refer to: * Female grandparent Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living or ...

'' (2006- ) *''Xtreme Tourist'' (2010) *''Smart Travels With Rudy Maxa'' (2002) *''Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour'' (2002-2003) *''Around the World with Marlin Darrah'' (2020- ) *''Canada's National Parks'' (2004) *''Secrets of the National Parks'' (2003) *''Best Parks Ever'' (2012) *''Inside America's National Parks'' (2006) *''America's National Parks'' (2015) *''Green Paradise'' (2011) *''Great Horses of the World'' (2015) *''Rituals of the World'' (2018) *''Wild Life'' (2013) *''Water Life'' (2009) *''Becoming a Man'' (2019) *''Family on the Road'' (2010) *''Backroads Europe'' (2015) *''The Silk Road'' (2019) *''In Search of Hidden Holy Sites'' (2016) *''Switzerland's Amazing Train Rides'' (2014) *''Disney Parks'' (2010) *''The New China'' (2015) *''Fantastic Festivals of the World'' (2004) *''Great Family Adventures'' (2011) *''Travel Thru History'' (2012) GoTraveler was listed on

Lifehacker ''Lifehacker'' is a weblog about life hacks and software that launched on 31 January 2005. The site was originally launched by Gawker Media and is owned by Ziff Davis. The blog posts cover a wide range of topics including Microsoft Windows, M ...

’s "''Top 10

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Channels to Inspire You to Get Outside''" and was spotlighted by

Thrillist ''Thrillist'' is an online media website covering travel. ''Thrillist'' was founded in 2004 by Ben Lerer and Adam Rich. In October 2016, Thrillist merged with internet brands ''The Dodo'', NowThis News, and Seeker to form the digital media ...

for its deep dive video into the

Carlsbad Caverns Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a national park of the United States in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors can hike in on their own via the natural ...

. AmbienceTV, a “Slow TV” production company and division of Questar Inc., was launched in 2019. It includes footage of The Shedd Aquarium, Ping Tom Park in Chicago, and Niagara Falls.

New Dimension Media

New Dimension Media (NDM) has produced and distributed original K-12 core curriculum video content to schools and public libraries for over 40 years. In the last 5 years, New Dimension Media produced 44 series and 417 programs. NDM titles are correlated to state, national, and Canadian provincial standards.

References

{{reflist Film distributors of the United States Companies based in Chicago 1985 establishments in Illinois