The television production unit of AGiLE Business Media LLC announced today a partnership with Steve Thomas, the former host of the legendary "This Old House" series on PBS, to broadcast an online TV series about the U.S. logistics industry, a business that most people take for granted or may not understand, but which impacts their lives every day.
Thomas, who hosted "This Old House" from 1989 to 2003 and helped turn the home improvement series into one of the most popular shows in PBS's history, will serve as executive producer and host of the new program, called Move it!, AGiLE TV Productions said in a statement. Move it! will premiere Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. Eastern time at MODEX, a logistics, material handling, and supply chain conference to be held at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center. The pilot's world premiere online will take place Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. EST at www.MoveItShow.com. It will be available for on-demand viewing immediately after the premiere.
The seven episodes, which include the Feb. 6 pilot, will each run for 30 minutes. Each episode will explore the nuances of the logistics business as seen through the eyes of some of the nation's leading specialists, AGiLE TV said.
AGiLE TV said one of the series' key objectives is to demonstrate to Americans who don't work in the logistics field how it affects the way they work and live. Many Americans don't grasp the importance of the industry until they realize that virtually everything around them has a prior movement attached to it, AGiLE TV said. Many Americans simply take for granted that a product will be there waiting for them whenever and wherever they want it, AGiLE TV said.
The series will highlight the people, technologies, and strategies instrumental in keeping the nation's supply chain running smoothly, in helping businesses run more efficiently, and improving the lives of all Americans, said AGiLE TV.
The pilot episode will examine the logistics operations of consumer products distributor Amway, the Port of Virginia, leading less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., and online natural health products distributor iHerb, AGiLE TV said.
In the statement, Thomas said the nation's logistics industry is so large that even small efficiency enhancements can translate into huge bottom-line savings. Thomas said that industry executives and laypersons alike "will want to learn of the latest advances in this highly technology-driven business."
"With Move it!, we hope to engage and entertain people, both inside and outside of the profession, and provide new insights into this fascinating business that touches every part of modern life," said Gary Master, executive vice president of AGiLE Business Media.
Master is also publisher of monthly publication DC Velocity and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly, both of which publish under the umbrella of AGiLE Business Media, based in Barrington, Ill.
The new series will be co-produced by David Maloney, a senior editor at DC Velocity. Maloney will also serve as executive producer along with Thomas.
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