“Manufacturing The Future” documentary to debut Feb. 26

Wisconsin Public Television to air one-hour report on state of manufacturing and solutions for the future

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After three years of film production by the producers of Educational Television Productions of Northeast Wisconsin that included hours and hours of interview footage with experts throughout the state of Wisconsin the TV documentary “Manufacturing The Future” is finally off the production line. With nearly 2,000 video and audio clips, this one-hour documentary asks the questions on how to solve today’s manufacturing challenges if there is to be a tomorrow for this industry.
According to today’s mass media reports on the closing of factories and paper mills one would think that Wisconsin’s manufacturing is a thing of the past – or is it? The real questions are how and what’s needed to solve the future of manufacturing in Wisconsin.
As the award-winning filmmakers, Alex Zacarias and Dean Thomas found in the making of the “Manufacturing The Future” documentary the answers are not all that simple. The question is how to solve the problems in this industry. Where are the jobs going to come from? What skills are needed by the next generation of manufacturers? How do you address the issues of clean energy?
The creative use of no narration in the program explores these hard issues by using a series of small stories that are interwoven and held together by comments shared by industry leaders and a modern day blacksmith as they share their thoughts on the future of manufacturing.
One of the programs compelling stories looks at a small business owner’s manufacturing specialty shop as he shares his personal story of fighting the conventional wisdom of education and his hopes for success for his daughter who will be next in line in running the business. Another story looks at the role of women in manufacturing since Rosie the Riveter to a present day CEO. Also, a story on the issue of sustainability and manufacturing is also explored as being vital to manufacturing’s future. One of the main themes that run throughout these stories is the role of Wisconsin’s educational institutions that have worked and continue to work with the manufacturing industry in ensuring its future.
The documentary “Manufacturing The Future” is co-produced by and will air on Wisconsin Public Television.