Michael’s bio:
With four Emmys, two Oscar nominations and a “Producer of the Year” award, Michael Cascio is recognized for his award-winning production, journalism, programming, and media management. As Executive Producer, his recent documentaries include At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal for HBO, which received the prestigious TV Academy Honors, Citizen Ashe for CNN, Emmy-nominated Going to War for PBS, Oscar-nominated Restrepo for National Geographic, and two American Masters for PBS – on the legendary surf king and racial pioneer Duke Kahanamoku, Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Historical Documentary, and on the iconic artist Edward Hopper, for which he was also co-director. At A&E, Animal Planet, MSNBC and National Geographic, Cascio created and supervised many award-winning and popular programs. He now advises selected production and media partners on programs and strategy through his company, M&C Media LLC, including Sidewinder Films, Food Network, Nutopia, PBS, Burson-Marsteller, and AccuWeather. He’s also an Adjunct Professor at American University School of Communication, and columnist for Realscreen magazine.
During his nine years as SVP and EVP at National Geographic, Cascio was the driving force behind many successful programs, such as the Emmy-nominated and record-breaking Inside 9/11, and the comprehensive, multi-part mini-series The ’90s: The Last Great Decade? and The 2000s: A New Reality. He also supervised the National Geographic/GE series on critical science issues Breakthrough. For PBS, in addition to American Masters, he was E.P. of the newsmaking Munich ’72 and Beyond on the Olympic Massacre, and Emmy-nominated Going to War with Sebastian Junger.
Before National Geographic, Cascio was EVP/GM at Animal Planet, where he achieved record ratings and revenues with high-rated series such as Crocodile Hunter, Animal Precinct, Pet Star, and the revival of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. He also commissioned a slate of original scripted movies, including The Retrievers and Gentle Ben. Previously, Cascio was Vice President at NBC News, where he started a major prime time programming initiative at MSNBC, creating long-form programs such as MSNBC Investigates and Lock-Up, along with specials such as Waging War: The Schwarzkopf Diaries.
Cascio is highly recognized for his work at A&E, especially Biography, Investigative Reports, American Justice, Titanic: Death of a Dream, and City Confidential. As SVP of Programming, he was responsible for the network’s overall program strategy, resulting in record ratings and revenues. He was also part of the team that developed the History Channel.
Most notably, Cascio launched Biography as a daily series, handling production of more than 700 original episodes and building it into a popular franchise with brand extensions, winning an Emmy for Best Documentary Series, wide critical acclaim, and many other awards.
Before A&E, Cascio had a distinguished background in TV news and programming, covering a wide range of stories and producing political debates. He was Executive Producer and Director of Public Affairs for the high-rated Capital Cities/ABC-owned WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, and as news director, field reporter, anchor and producer for WHYY-TV in Wilmington, Del., the New Jersey Network and WNET-TV, New York.
Among his many accolades, Cascio was cited in the Entertainment Weekly “It List” as one of the most creative people in the entertainment industry. He has a Master’s in Communication from American University, and a Bachelor of Arts in American studies from the University of Virginia. In college, Cascio worked as a courier for NBC News, where he carried important items, such as breakfast and lunch, to crews on Capitol Hill. As part of his varied work experience, he was a clerk at the CIA and backstage janitor at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, which he chronicled in an article in the Sunday New York Times.
Cynthia’s bio:
Cynthia Weber has a distinguished background in broadcast journalism and the media industry, most recently as researcher, producer and executive producer of the American Masters for PBS on iconic artist Edward Hopper. As a correspondent for CBS News for nearly a decade, Weber reported on major events that shaped our times, anchoring network radio newscasts and the CBS TV network’s Up to the Minute morning news program. In addition, she has significant experience as an anchor and reporter in radio and television news and public affairs in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. A principal at M&C Media, Weber develops new projects, researches, writes and produces, with specialty in media strategy, philanthropy and non-profit consulting.
At CBS, Weber anchored live news coverage of a wide variety of stories, including the Columbine shootings, President Clinton’s impeachment, Princess Diana’s death, the Oklahoma City bombing and O.J. Simpson. Before her network career, Weber anchored and reported for top-rated radio stations, including all-news WINS in New York City, and WCAU in Philadelphia, where she co-anchored the morning news program at the CBS station. She hosted talk shows in Washington, D.C., at WTOP and Washington Post Radio. Weber was also a news reporter for WHYY-TV in Wilmington, Delaware, and an assignment editor and production assistant at KYW-TV in Philadelphia. She worked as Public Affairs Director at two Philadelphia radio stations, hosting live and taped interview shows as well as coordinating the stations’ public outreach efforts and promotional activities.
Weber has substantial experience in voice-over work in commercials, PSAs, narration and extended product presentations with clients such as AT&T, McGraw-Hill, Reader’s Digest, Rite-Aid and the American Red Cross. She was the voice of the Donnelly Directory Talking Yellow Pages. Weber began her career as a print reporter at the Burlington County Times in New Jersey. She has a B.A. in political science from Temple University.