Born: 30 November 1929, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Joan Ganz
American television writer and producer Joan Ganz Cooney is a co-founder of Sesame Workshop (formerly Children’s Television Workshop or CTW) and co-creator of Sesame Street. After working as a journalist and for the state department early in her career, Cooney became a publicist for television and productions companies, leading to her interest in educational television. She began producing documentaries in the early 1960s for WNET (Channel 13), New York’s first educational TV station. In 1966, she started discussing the idea of a television program meant to educate young children. She oversaw and directed the creation of what became Sesame Street, premiering in 1969, and the CTW as the production company. As CTW’s first executive director, she was one of American television’s first female executives, considered “one of the most important television developments of the decade”. She remained n the executive director role until 1990, when she became chair of the executive board. Over her career, she has served as a board member or trustee for many different organizations, and received a range of awards. The Sesame Workshop founded The Joan Ganz Cooney Center in 2007, a non-profit dedicated to improving children’s literacy skills and fostering innovation in children’s educaton through digital media.