Natasha Lance Rogoff (born March 15, 1960) is an American television producer, director, businesswoman, and the author of the book, "Muppets in Moscow".[1][2] She is known for the production of Russian and Mexican versions of Sesame Street, which include 'Ulitsa Sezam' and 'Plaza Sesamo'[3][4] She also directed, produced and wrote the PBS documentary, Russia for Sale: The Rough Road to Capitalism.

Natasha Lance Rogoff
Born (1960-03-15) March 15, 1960 (age 64)
New York City, United States
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Columbia University
Occupation(s)Producers, director, businesswoman, author
SpouseKenneth Rogoff (m. 1995)
Websitenatashalancerogoff.com

Lance Rogoff is also the founder and CEO of KidsCook Productions and the founder and president of the non-profit organization, Ingredients for Education.

Early life and education

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Lance Rogoff was born on March 15, 1960, in New York City to Charlotte and Sheldon Lance. Her grandparents were Russian and Polish immigrants to the USA.[1]

In 1984, she received a bachelor of arts in Chinese history from the University of California, Berkeley. She then studied international and public affairs at SIPA, Columbia University, receiving a master of arts in1987. In 1983, Lance Rogoff, studied Russian language and literature at Leningrad State University through the Council on International Education Exchange.[5]

Career

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Lance Rogoff started her freelance journalism career by writing articles for several national and international publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, City Limits, and Stadt Zeitung.

In 1985, she produced an episode called, 'Rock Around the Kremlin' for ABC TV's 20/20. In 1986, Lance Rogoff was hired by NBC Nightly News as a Special Consultant   for NBC's Nightly News with Tom Brokaw's broadcast, covering the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit. Upon returning to New York City, Lance Rogoff served as a field reporter at CBS News for a year. In 1988, she moved back to Russia as associate producer to Hedrick Smith on the PBS Television four-hour series, 'Inside Gorbachev's USSR with Hedrick Smith.' In 1983, Lance Rogoff directed, wrote and produced the documentary, 'Russia for Sale: The Rough Road to Capitalism' which aired on PBS television and on ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel.

After the fall of the USSR in 1991, Lance-Rogoff was hired by The Children's Television Workshop to produce the Russian and Mexican versions of Sesame Street, namely 'Ulitsa Sezam' and 'Plaza Sesamo'. Lance Rogoff was the executive producer and co-directed 52 episodes of Ulitsa Sezam, and produced 131 episodes of Plaza Sesamo. The programs aired on major, television channels in Mexico, Latin America and Russia.[3][4]

In 1997, She launched a documentary series, Pioneers, providing Russians with information and training on entrepreneurship. In 2003, she was an associate producer of Hedrick Smith's PBS Frontline documentary, "Tax Me If You Can". Rogoff established an education and technology production company, KidsCOOK Productions, in 2005. Since its inception, she has been serving as the CEO of the company. Through KidsCOOK Productions, Rogoff wrote, produced, and directed KickinNutrition TV, a musical comedy cooking and nutrition education show for children.

Lance Rogoff directed and produced the documentary video 'Russian Millennials Speak Openly About America' on YouTube in 2016.

In 2013, Lance Rogoff founded a non-profit organization, Ingredients for Education, where she has been serving as the president since. The organization provides education and nutrition awareness to low-income and nutritionally at-risk communities and in the United States. Ingredients for Education also distributed the KickinNutrition TV show in over 25 states in the United States of America.

Publication(s)

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Rowman and LIttlefiled Publishing published Lance Rogoff's non-fiction book, "Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia", in 2022.[6] The book focuses on the behind-the-scenes incidents and endeavors an original Russian-language production of Sesame Street, called, "Ulitsa Sezam".[1][2]

Filmography

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Year Title Broadcast Stations Director Producer Writer
1985 Rock Around the Kremlin Yes
1988 1988 Reaga-Gorbachev Moscow Summit NBC Nightly News Yes
1989 Inside Gorbachev's UUSR PBS TV Yes - Associate Producer
1989-1991 Russia for Sale: The Rough Road to Capitalism PBS TV Yes Yes Yes [7][8]
1992-1997 Ulitsa Sezam ORT, NTV (Russian TV) Yes Yes Yes
1992-1997 Plaza Sesamo Televisa, Univision (US) Yes Yes Yes
1992 Can You Stop People from Drinking? Channel 4 (UK) Yes - Associate Producer
2004 Tax Me If You Can PBS Frontline Yes - Associate Producer
2016 Russian Milennials Speak Openly about America YouTube Yes Yes Yes

References

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  1. ^ a b c "BNNGPT". bnngpt.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  2. ^ a b "Muppets in Moscow — the making of a post-Soviet Sesame Street". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  3. ^ a b Anglesey, Steve (2023-03-16). "Puppets and perestroika: When Sesame Street went behind the Iron Curtain". The New European. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  4. ^ a b Culture, Shannon Power Pop; Reporter, Entertainment (2023-02-08). "Moscow's Muppets: How "Sesame Street" became a TV hit in post-Soviet Russia". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  5. ^ Smith, David (2022-10-18). "Muppets in Moscow: the wild story behind Sesame Street in Russia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  6. ^ Cox Gurdon, Meghan (2022-10-16). "Muppets in Moscow' Review: 'R' Is for Russia". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  7. ^ "The First, Faltering Steps Toward A Free Market". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ^ Goodman, Walter (1990-04-30). "Review/Television; A Series Examining The New Soviet Union". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-24.