Kate Taylor Interview by Natalie Earl

Author's Note: Kate Taylor called me from her office, however due to her enormous obligations at WGBH Boston, she had to keep the interview brief. Kate wants us to know that she is trying to get the Degrassi series back on WGBH's program schedule for the year 1999! [Degrassi fans can request Degrassi by emailing feedback@wgbh.org. She says that Degrassi was one of her proudest, most rewarding accomplishments. She is flattered by the Degrassi Web Rings efforts to keep Degrassi in the public eye. Kate had admired Kit and Linda's work on "The Kids of Degrassi Street" so she was very excited when they approached her to co-produce the Degrasi Junior High series. Kate continues to produced young adult shows for WGBH, her latest projects include Zoom and Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?, the sequel to Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

ZOOM on WGBH - The following information was obtained from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/zoom/home3.html

[Vintage ZOOM] It's 1973. You're twelve years old. It's 5 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon. What are you probably doing? Watching ZOOM. Airing every day to millions of true believers, ZOOM got kids thinking, laughing, experimenting and writing in unprecedented numbers. Whether profiling an 11 year-old circus star or demonstrating the latest tongue twister, ZOOM was as irreverent, insightful and playful as kids themselves.

If you still find yourself nostalgic for rugby shirts, ubbi dubbi, and fannee doolee, you are in the right place...

[ZOOM 1999] ZOOM is a television series for kids, by kids, and we need YOU to help make it happen! The ZOOM pilot will be airing on local PBS stations through the end of January (see our listing page for dates and times in your area or check your local PBS listings).

Production is already underway for 40 new shows and everything on ZOOM will come from an idea contributed by a kid, a ZOOMer. So, who is a ZOOMer? They live all over the country, come from all different backgrounds, are all different ages, have all different types of ideas. But they do have one very important thing in common: they contribute their ideas to ZOOM!

Zoom encourages kids to submit ideas and suggestions. Such as fun and wacky experiments (Example: how to balance a dime on your nose or how to cram 7 kids on a milk crate).

Here is one of the fiction submissions:

THE CAFETERIA LINE by Kathy W. of Lincoln, MA.

Characters: Kids in cafeteria line. The setting: A school cafeteria.

Kid #1: Hey, cool! Grilled cheese. Pass it down.

Kid #2: What? Grilled peas? YUCK! Pass it down.

Kid #3: She sneezed on the cheese? Oh please. Pass it down.

Kid #4: Sneezy cream cheese? Dare you take a bite!

Kid #5: Take a bite? Yeah right-I'd be sick all night!

Kid #6: He sleeps with a light? Pass it down.

Kid #7: Did he say food fight??? ALL RIGHT!!!!

WHERE IN TIME IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?® on WGBH - The following information was obtained from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/carmen/carmens.html

VILLAIN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF EVIL HEADQUARTERS

is the domain of Carmen SandiegoTM and her gang of crooks. This nefarious bunch finds true pleasure in stealing those items that can change the course of history forever. Our five new villains are: BARON WASTELAND, JACQUELINE HYDE, DR. BELLJAR, MEDEVA, and SIRVILE

We open in V.I.L.E. (Villain's International League of Evil) headquarters, where the crafty Carmen is planning her next heist. Perhaps she'll steal the first radio transmitter, or Walden Pond, or the tea from the Boston Tea Party. She summons one of her crooks, issues her command, and zaps the crook to the time and place of the crime. We now have 28 minutes to get the loot back or history will change forever.

Determined to put history back on track, the Chief (played by Lynne Thigpen) alerts the Squadron Leader (our new host Kevin Shinick) and recruits three Time Pilots, the contestants who report to the navigation deck of the Chronoskimmer, our time travel vehicle. Their mission? To retrieve and return the stolen loot. The Time Pilots track Carmen by answering a series of clues (multiple-choice questions), three speed rounds called "Data Boosts", and a geography segment called "Global Pursuit." At the end of the Front Game, the two Time Pilots with the most "Mission Points" retrieve the stolen loot and advance to the Mid-Game.

Before they can catch Carmen, the Time Pilots must "restore history" by returning the loot to the year it was stolen. To navigate the Chronoskimmer back through time, contestants place eight events from history in the correct order, from the most recent to the least recent. The Time Pilot who wins this game moves on to the End Game.

To catch Carmen and her crook, the remaining Time Pilot must answer history questions at portals along the "Trail of Time." A correct answer opens the gate; a wrong answer costs contestants valuable time. The Time Pilot who answers all six questions in 90 seconds catches Carmen Sandiego. Should the Trail of Time prove to be too much of a challenge, Carmen escapes. In any event, the loot has been replaced, history is back on track, and the Time Pilot is rewarded by the Chief for his or her excellence in tracking Carmen through time.

Software includes:

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?®

Get ready to travel the world, encounter exotic sights and sounds, meet unusual people and arrest them! Carmen Sandiego and her gang of thieves are off on an international crime spree, heisting treasures from around the world. Your mission as an ACME detective is to travel the globe, from the streets of Paris to the canals of Bangkok, in pursuit of the criminals. Use the included reference atlas to track the villains, gather the evidence and crack the case wide open. Ages 9 to Adult.

Floppy Versions (DOS and Macintosh): $39.95
CD-ROM Version (Macintosh and MPC): $49.95


Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego?®

This time, Carmen Sandiego's crime wave will take you on a crime-stopping chase from Coast-to-Coast, to recover national treasures. Your assignment is to gather enough evidence to flush out the fleeing fugitives and warrant their arrest. Use the included reference guide to decipher the clues and put away the conniving culprits for good. Ages 9 to Adult.

Floppy Versions (DOS and Macintosh): $39.95
CD-ROM Version (Macintosh and MPC): $49.95


Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?®
Junior Detective Edition

Now Carmen Sandiego takes Junior Detectives along for fun on the run through the world of geography. Join the Chief, Zack and Ivy, and Stretch, the clue-sniffing canine, on the chase to bag the bad guys and recover stolen loot. The game features geography-based picture clues, automatic on-line help, captivating photographs and music from around the world. Ages 5 to 8.

CD-ROM Versions (Macintosh and MPC): $39.95