Overview

Living Earth Television (LETV)

Living Earth Television (以下简称LETV)是一个总部设在美国的非盈利的纪录片发行机构。我们的目标是通过播放纪录片促进世界各国人民之间的相互理解。LETV致力于寻找来源各国本土的纪录片，并与原作者一起转换并制作纪录片的多语言版本。我们希望通过具有文化性的翻译，将纪录片地道的呈现在观众面前。

LETV首次在全美范围试播的影片《幼儿园》，由LETV独家译制并于 2010到2012年在美国非盈利卫视LinkTV播放。 2016年， LETV开始筹备四部优秀中国纪录片在PBS世界频道的播放，这四部影片将作为一个“中国系列“，集中展现中国当代社会的不同方面。LETV从中国中央电视台、湖北卫视纪录片导演张以庆、以及两位独立纪录片华人导演处获得了影片译制及公开播映的北美独家版权。

Project Partners

People 

Martha M. Foster

--Founder, President/CEO

Martha Foster is an anthropologist and film curator who has worked in all aspects of documentary film production and distribution.  She is the founder and President/CEO of Living Earth Television (LETV), a nonprofit organization based in the USA dedicated to intercultural education through documentary film and television.  LETV is currently working with PBS World to adapt Chinese documentaries for national broadcast, with PBS station WTIU as co-producer. 

Martha has traveled extensively in China since 1999, working with documentary production staffs at major television stations around the country and lecturing at many universities, as well participating in festivals and screening American documentaries for live audiences in several cities.  In 2010, she led the American Documentary Showcase’s first delegation to China, as a documentary expert for the US Department of State, and secured Fulbright funding for LETV from the American Embassy in Beijing to continue its work on documentary exchange with China.

As a staff producer for WTTW Public Television in Chicago, Martha won five Emmy awards and an additional fifteen nominations for her work on the documentary series Chicago Stories.  She is a Senior Consultant to the Western Branch of the Documentary Television Academic Committee of the China Television Artists Association.  She has programmed intercultural documentary series for the Smithsonian Institution and the Field Museum of Chicago, as well as for numerous film festivals, and founded and directed the Windy City International Documentary Festival in Chicago.  

Dr. Nancy Jervis

--Director of China Programming

Nancy is a leader in the field of cross-cultural education, with extensive professional contacts and experience in China and the U.S.. Experience includes senior management positions in the U.S., with twenty years of progressive responsibility in education, event management, program development, and grantwriting at the China Institute of New York, a medium sized, not-for-profit, cultural institution, and several years of teaching and administrative experience in Chinese and U.S. universities.

Board of Directors

Earon S. Davis

--Board Chair

 Part of the Living Earth Television vision since 2003, Earon has traveled the U.S. and China on behalf of the organization.   He has been instrumental in developing the vision and structure of LETV and is passionate about the organization’s mission.  Davis says "It is a thrill to be associated with LETV’s inspirational and talented group of non-profit and broadcast professionals."

In addition to degrees in Law, Public Health, and Sociology, Earon was named as a consultant to the Western Branch of the Documentary Films Academic Committee of the China TV Artists Association.   With his experience as an advocate, attorney, journalist, healthcare practitioner, media advisor, professor and publisher, Davis brings a truly rich perspective to LETV and its board.   He has received awards for his work on environmental health and the rights of people with disabilities and has numerous publications to his credit.

Richard Basofin

--Board Vice President

Board member and Vice President Richard Basofin is very pleased to be associated with Living Earth Television and an outstanding and talented group of board members and supporters.  He believes that LETV is changing lives around the world.   Basofin’s focus is on advancing the mission of Living Earth Television through enhanced organization, education, and financial structure.

 Basofin’s education includes degrees in mathematics from the University of Illinois and in business from the Universities of Michigan and Chicago.  He recently attained the Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business.

 Basofin’s work experience includes a long career in management consulting serving both the for profit and nonprofit communities.  He is currently the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Administration for Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center.  Basofin has served on many boards including the American Refugee Committee (as President) and the American Indian Health Service (as Vice-Chair). 

Barry Benson

--Board Member

Barry Benson, board member, is Vice President for Development and Communications for ProLiteracy Worldwide, a leading international adult literacy organization based in Syracuse, NY.  His past positions have included as Executive Director of Literacy Chicago, where he directed a staff of 15 and volunteer corp of several hundred, and was responsible for development, programming, financial, HR, communications and marketing facets.  He led a successful turnaround of Literacy Chicago, growing grant revenue by over 500% in 18 months. 

 Prior to his work in adult literacy, Benson served as Director of Corporate Relations for Columbia College Chicago, and as Corporate Foundations Officer for St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY.  He also established, owned and directed a group of art galleries in St. Augustine, FL. 

 A gifted communicator and artist himself, Benson received his BA in World Politics and International Economics from the University of Michigan, and his MA in Psychology from Norwich University/Vermont College.  He has served on a number of nonprofit boards, including The Incurable Theater Company, Chicago, the Center for Asian Arts and Media, Chicago, and Story Week Festival of Writers, Chicago. 

Honorary Board

 Donors 

Organizations

Individuals

 Additional Donors

      Volunteers and Interns 

Chen Yang, Marketing and Development

Derek Hopper, Website Development

Gabrielle Dorn, Social Media Intern

Holly Jean Tagima, Social Media Co-Coordinator

Juan Carrasco, Marketing Intern

Jinghua Tu, Video Producer

Min Qi, Development and Marketing

Renzhong Tan, Social Media Coordinator

Rebecca Sanders, Website Coordinator

Shixin Li, Video Coordinator and Social media

Xiao Bao, Social Media

Xiaozhuo Lyu, Manager of the Chinese Business Partnerships, Volunteer Coordinator

Yuanhan Wang, Assistant Manager, Website & Visual Designer, Volunteer Coordinator