Pittsburgh, PA, May 7, 2018 – It’s a beautiful new day in the Neighborhood! The Fred Rogers Company, the celebrated children’s entertainment company founded by children’s TV pioneer Fred Rogers nearly five decades ago and now home to multiple award-winning series loved by children and families around the world, has rebranded to Fred Rogers Productions. The change is designed to better reflect the company’s expanding catalog of programs, which today encompasses top-rated multiplatform PBS KIDS series such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, and Odd Squad as well as popular apps, games, and more. Along with the new name is a refreshed logo featuring an image of Daniel Tiger to more clearly connect the company with its signature property. The rebrand was done in partnership with The Possibility Shop and SJI Associates.

“The name change helps position us for continued growth in all areas of children’s entertainment production, while reflecting the company’s deep roots in social-emotional learning and our iconic namesake,” said Paul Siefken, President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions. “We remain committed to inspiring a lifetime of learning in children and to earning the trust of their parents and caregivers every day.”

One of the most trusted names in children’s media, the company has a sterling reputation as a producer of children’s educational and entertaining media. Beginning with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, its first original series since the iconic Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which revolutionized television as an early learning tool, the company’s mission continues to be reaching young children, families and educators in innovative, effective ways by harnessing the power of media. Building on its 50-year history of success with exceptional programming for every platform, the company and its programs have earned numerous prestigious awards and honors, including 23 Daytime Emmys, multiple Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, a host of Common Sense Media Awards, and, most recently, an Institutional Peabody Award, among other accolades.

In March 2018 alone, the company’s programs reached more than 7 million kids ages 2-8 and garnered more than 50 million views through streaming video. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a top PBS KIDS show among preschoolers and moms, accounts for nearly 500 million video streams per year, and its mobile apps have been downloaded more than 2 million times.

Stats for the company’s other hit shows are also impressive: Peg + Cat, the animated math and problem-solving series, racks up an average of 145 million video streams per year*; and Odd Squad, the live-action problem-solving PBS KIDS series, averages over 27 million streams digitally** per month.

Source: * Google Analytics 01/14 – 12/17, **Google Analytics 01/15 – 03/18

Paul Siefken has been named President and CEO of The Fred Rogers Company, effective January 1, 2017. Currently Vice President of Broadcast & Digital Media, Siefken succeeds longtime company President and CEO Bill Isler. Isler, who worked with founder and legendary children’s media icon Fred Rogers, is retiring from the company.

“Paul is the perfect leader to take The Fred Rogers Company to the next important phase in its exciting evolution,” said Isler. “I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to work closely with Paul for a number of years now, and I know that the company and its mission benefits greatly from his creativity, integrity, and vision. I am confident The Fred Rogers Company will continue to thrive under his capable leadership in the years ahead.”

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to succeed Bill Isler as President and CEO of The Fred Rogers Company,” said Siefken. “We have an amazing team in place, and I’m excited to work with them to uphold the legacy of innovation, creativity, and trust that The Fred Rogers Company represents for the next generation of children and parents.”

Since joining The Fred Rogers Company in 2013, Siefken has been steering the company’s broadcast content, managing the digital production pipelines for its three standout series, and working with their respective production partners. He also has spearheaded initiatives that have taken all three award-winning series into communities around the country, working with public television stations, museums, science centers, libraries, volunteer organizations, and early childhood groups to provide meaningful content that supports the aims and priorities of the respective institutions.

As President and CEO, Siefken will look to further develop the company’s existing and new partnerships to ensure that it continues to present the very best in educational children’s media on broadcast and digital platforms, and beyond.

Before joining The Fred Rogers Company, Siefken spent nearly ten years at PBS, most recently as Director of Children’s Programming. Prior to that, he managed sponsored promotions and media relations as well as produced interactive content for Cartoon Network. Siefken graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a Teaching Certificate from the Program in Education.

 

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced today that it will present the 2015 Board of Governors Award to The Fred Rogers Company. The prestigious award, which is bestowed by NATAS to recognize career longevity, lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the television industry, will be presented to the nonprofit children’s media company at the 33rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards on Saturday, September 19, 2015.

“We are thrilled to honor The Fred Rogers Company not only for its longstanding broadcast and community service legacy, but for its current, cutting-edge innovations in international children’s programming,” said NATAS Chapter President Michelle Bradsher. “Even after Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the company has continued to thrive and to produce other high quality national programs for children, including the award-winning programs Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Odd Squad and Peg + Cat.”

Founded in 1971, The Fred Rogers Company specializes in creating quality children’s programming for public television, which continues to advance the philosophy and values of its founder, industry pioneer Fred Rogers, by developing ways to engage new generations of children and families.

“It’s such an honor to be recognized with The Board of Governors Award,” said William H. Isler, CEO of The Fred Rogers Company. “We’re carrying on Fred’s philosophy that media is an incredibly powerful tool and should be used to convey positive messages. That’s what inspires us and what’s behind everything we create for children and their families.”