Trivue produces and distributes the Spotlight On series for public television

AE911Truth produced a five minute version of the 15-minute mini-documentary, “Architects and Engineers: Solving the Mystery of Building 7”, for the Spotlight On series broadcast by PBS on dozens of public television stations nationwide. According to the Nielsen Television Index, the short film was a resounding success, airing 678 times during the first three-month cycle, and was seen by an estimated 2.7 million viewers. The $10,000 that supporters like you donated to this project last year has paid off tremendously.

The Genesis of the Campaign

Two years ago, Wendy Rapkin of Trivue Entertainment contacted AE911Truth founder Richard Gage, AIA, to suggest producing a segment for the Spotlight On series. Spotlight On is an ongoing series of three-to-five minute filler programs for public television that has been airing for over 20 years. Rapkin, a long time supporter of AE911Truth, felt that this would be a good vehicle to increase exposure to the public about the explosive destruction of WTC 7 on the afternoon of September 11, 2001.

“I really wanted to get the word out about Building 7,” Rapkin said, “and the video AE911Truth produced is all about the science of its destruction.”

Gage then met with the senior producer of Trivue Entertainment, Larry Cohen, in New Jersey. An interview was conducted and Cohen was deeply impressed with the AE911Truth message and mission. He decided immediately that he would work with Gage to get a program on Spotlight On.

“This production is certainly the most controversial segment ever distributed by Trivue,” noted Cohen. When asked why he got involved with this contentious subject, he said, “Because I believe what you guys are saying is true – I believe you are right.”

“I was particularly impressed by your refusal to identify culprits, that all you want is a new investigation, Cohen added. “You have no agenda – other than finding the truth.”

The Production of the Documentary

With the ‘green light’ given by Trivue, a team was assembled to produce the film. AE911Truth volunteers Michael Marino, Chris Sarns, Mike Green, and Susie Bonham-Craig all worked tirelessly with Gage to produce the film.

The project began with the production of a three-minute segment as the goal. This objective was set because the shorter a segment is, the more opportunity it has to be aired, as there are more three-minute windows of time to fill than five-minute windows. However, it turned out to be an impossible task to work within that time constraint. As Sarns put it, “Gage is a perfectionist and couldn’t leave out any of the five main points of WTC 7 demolition.”

This led to the development of the 15-minute “Solving the Mystery of WTC 7” mini-documentary, a highly successful spin-off project with over 700,000 views on YouTube – and the exposure is growing rapidly throughout the 9/11 truth movement. Copies of the “mini-DVD” can also be purchased at our online store. These can be carried in your shirt pocket everywhere you go to be given or sold to interested people you meet.

“Putting together the video was a grueling process that took hundreds of hours,” Sarns added. “It’s amazing how long it can take to compile and edit a 15-minute video that is information-packed as well as entertaining and uniquely captivating.”

Ed Asner, past president of the Screen Actors Guild, is a long time supporter of AE911Truth

Marino was responsible for what was dubbed the “sneak up on you beginning” that opened the film with the building achievements of architects and engineers. Since reputable technical professionals are declaring that we have a big problem with the official conspiracy theory of 9/11, he felt it would be powerful to begin with an introduction to who architects and engineers are and what they have accomplished in history. Then he slowly and surprisingly leads viewers towards the issue of WTC 7 in a surreal plot twist that leaves them with their jaws dropped.

Under the narration of the legendary actor Ed Asner, we hear that “throughout the ages, architects and engineers have designed and built the great structures that have withstood the test of time,” and see dazzling images of the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Taj Mahal along with a thoroughly engaging musical score. The video then goes on to discuss modern steel-framed skyscrapers, and how they are “built to last”. We then see WTC 7 and right after we hear Ed Asner say “This building was also built to last” we see the building drop like a rock.

When asked how he came up with this ingenious twist, Marino said, “It was spontaneous, over the phone, and manifested itself on the fly. That insight was itself quite a moment for all of us.”

One of the key elements of the success of the video has to be the participation of Asner himself. He has long been a supporter of the 9/11 Truth movement, and began questioning the official story soon after that tragic day. When asked why he chose to participate with AE911Truth he said that he was delighted by the size and influence of the organization. “I have somewhat of a name that I was happy to lend to give credibility to the cause,” he added.

Transitioning to Public Television

The compelling 15-minute version of the 5-minute WTC7 film is now available as a mini-DVD at the new AE911Truth online store

Once the 15-minute version was completed, the difficult process of paring it down to a five minute version began. In order to meet the time constraints and make it through the approval process for airing on public television by the Spotlight on producer, references to NIST and to 9/11 itself were removed, as was the “call to action”. Even though much of the controversial material was left on the cutting room floor, the Spotlight On segment still has ‘teeth’ and is a powerful message for people who may have been unaware that a third building collapsed on that fateful day. The controversy is “implied” instead of explicitly addressed.

Trivue usually writes, scripts, and films the segments they produce, but this particular segment was produced wholly by AE911Truth. “All we did was take it and add our intro,” Cohen noted, “because they had a vision that we did not want to mess with – and it turned out quite successfully.”

The program was uplinked on August 19th and became accessible to 355 public television stations. Each individual affiliate director decides whether a given Spotlight On segment will air on that station. 131 of the member stations picked up the segment and aired it a total of 678 times during the first Nielsen cycle. The program will forever be within the Spotlight On archives and may continue to be shown in the future. Some segments may be aired for up to three years.

What You Can Do to Help

If you haven’t done so already, sign our petition demanding a new WTC investigation with subpoena power. Everyone can sign. You don’t need to be an architect or engineer to make a difference, and every single signature by a concerned citizen gives greater credibility to our cause.

You can also stop by our online store and purchase materials to educate others about the explosive 9/11 evidence. A particularly good deal is the Special Activist Pack for reaching greater numbers of people. Even just handing out fact cards can have a powerfully influential effect.

Put the 15-minute version of the documentary on your local Cable Access station.

Donate to AE911Truth so that we can air the five-minute documentary to the American public again in even greater measure. The 9/11 truth movement is a grassroots effort that educates the public, one person at a time. It is you, individually, that is going to make the difference. Please do your part to assist us in this critical mission. Support our efforts to get Ed Asner and AE911Truth in front of millions more PBS viewers today!