A poet turned travel host, a “Greek Julia Child” and a poor immigrant from Istria who built a culinary empire. These are just some of the celebrity stars of GBH Lifestyles, the newly reinvented production unit that takes viewers on global explorations of food, culture, natural history and travel.
“These fan-favorite personalities—Misha Collins, Maria Loi and Lidia Bastianich—aren’t your ordinary celebrities,” said Executive Producer Laurie Donnelly. “They have a clear mission that’s aligned with public media. They are authentic people who feel passionate about teaching,” she said. “Our viewers are very smart—they know who’s authentic and who’s not. They get that in a nanosecond,” she said. “These extraordinarily relatable hosts are why our programs are so successful and continue for so long.”
Donnelly, a Peabody, Emmy and James Beard award-winning producer who has been at GBH for 35 years, has developed a portfolio that reaches across platforms with broadcast series and digital shorts on GBH 44, GBH Create and the PBS Living Channel. “We’re always developing new formats and ways of telling stories that keep up with what our audiences are interested in and where they are at.”
The ever-popular Bastianich, who was born on the Istrian peninsula in Italy, has produced programming with GBH for 12 years, including the recent Lidia Celebrates America: Flavors That Define Us. Coming this December is Growing up with Lidia, which will take viewers along her journey, revealing what shaped her and how she found her way into public media.
Maria Loi, whose 2022 debut show Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets, was an instant hit across the nation, captures a way of life and way of eating that is considered one of the healthiest in the world.
“We call her the ‘Julia Child of Greece,’” said Donnelly, who is looking forward to Season Two next year. She met Loi through a GBH employee who had encountered her at Loi Estiatorio restaurant in Manhattan.
“When I met her, I loved her,” said Donnelly. “And I always go with my first instinct.”
Her knack for spotting talent is borne out in another interesting find, the host of this year’s new Roadfood with Misha Collins: Discovering America One Dish at a Time, which was nominated for a daytime Emmy Award. Collins, a writer and actor who travels across the country exploring uniquely American dishes, has millions of followers on social media and reaches a new, younger audience.
“These shows are about so much more than eating and touring,” said Donnelly. “Food and travel are a way into understanding culture that opens people up, levels the playing field and brings us together.”
Viewers can also look forward to next year’s special, created with NOVA, that brings lifestyles and science together. Through the exploration of rapidly warming ocean waters, Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine will tell the stories of the human behaviors that impact the climate and how we can respond. For a companion digital series, they’ll bring on Native filmmakers to make short videos that explore climate change in their communities. The three-episode special is slated for summer of 2024.
“Lifestyle programming is a different way to reach audiences, but it fulfills the same public media mission: to entertain and educate,” said Donnelly.
