PBS documentary | Dayton937

Inside the ThinkTV Studio on South Jefferson Street in Downtown Dayton

The 40th annual ThinkTV GreatTV Auction starts tonight, Monday, April 18, 2016 at 6 PM and will be broadcast live on ThinkTV 16 and ThinkTV 14 until its conclusion on Saturday night, April 23, 2016. The auction broadcast will start at 6 PM each night. Proceeds from the GreatTV Auction help support ThinkTV’s many educational services including early childhood and K-12 educator workshops, teacher professional development and ensures that ThinkTV will continue to provide greater Dayton with award-winning PBS programs like the recent two part documentary series Jackie Robinson by filmmaker Ken Burns plus locally produced series and specials.

Goods and services available on the auction block include sports memorabilia, jewelry, ticket packages from Dayton performing arts organizations, travel, tuition grants, works of art and much more.

Bids can be placed on major gifts valued at $500 or more by clicking here.

I recently visited the ThinkTV offices and studio on April 8, 2016 for a short tour/photoshoot with Isaiah Ashba, Manager of Events & Projects for ThinkTV. “Celebrating our 40th Anniversary is really a tribute to our community- the support we receive each year, hundreds of donors and volunteers are truly the ones that make the GreatTV Auction such a special event for us. 450-500 volunteers dedicate around 3,800 hours,” said Ashba. In addition, hundreds of local businesses and national companies have donated thousands of items in support of the auction.

“The GreatTV Auction is very much a volunteer-driven event. We have a crew of volunteers who have been writing copy for the auction items every Saturday since January,” said Operations Committee volunteer Jessica Singleton.

Keep up with the ThinkTV GreatTV Auction on TV by tuning in to ThinkTV 16 & 14, streaming it live at thinktv.org/auction and on social media via these helpful links below.

facebook.com/thinktv

twitter.com/thinktv

instagram.com/thinktvpbs

Photography by Tom Gilliam of DaytonGram & Tom Gilliam Photography

As a photographer with National Geographic, JODI COBB has worked in more than 60 countries–celebrating the best of the human spirit and spotlighting some of its worst aspects. She is best known for lifting the curtain on worlds closed to outsiders, specializing in gaining access to places and situations that are off limits for most journalists. She was one of the first photographers to cross China when it reopened to the West, the first photographer to enter the hidden lives of women of Saudi Arabia for a landmark article in 1987, and the first woman to be named White House Photographer of the Year. For her book Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art, COBB entered another world closed to outsiders–the geisha of Japan. Her investigation of human trafficking, perhaps the ultimate hidden world, enabled her to expose this harsh reality to public consciousness in her 2003 story “21st Century Slavery.”

Her photographs have drawn acclaim at exhibitions around the world. She was featured in the PBS documentary On Assignment and has frequently appeared on NBC’s “Today Show.” She has also won several awards, including numerous National Press Photographers Association Pictures of the Year awards and World Press awards.

Experience a retrospective of her most important work on Monday, April 21, 2014 at 7 p.m., as she also shares images and stories from her most recent assignment, a story on twins for the January 2012 issue of National Geographic. Tickets can be purchased at the Ticket Center Stage Box Office, by phone at 937-228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com. Ticket Center Stage Box Office hours are Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, featuring live concerts, films and dynamic presentations by today’s leading explorers, scientists, filmmakers and photographers, covering a wide range of topics including exploration and adventure, wildlife and habitat conservation, natural phenomena and relevant issues such as climate change. Proceeds from speaker series ticket sales help fund future National Geographic initiatives in field research, exploration and education. For more information, visit www.nglive.org.

Five Rivers MetroParks’ mission is to protect natural heritage in the greater Dayton Area and provide outdoor experiences that inspire a connection with nature. Every year, they provide education, recreation, and conservation opportunities to the community in Dayton. They look to promote the conservation and use of natural areas for the benefit of people in the region.

ThinkTV GreatTV 40th Anniversary Auction Begins Tonight!

2013-2014 Fifth Third Bank National Geographic Live Series Presents: JODI COBB: Uncovering Hidden Worlds