About The Staff
Keely Muse, Producer/Host
Keely is thrilled that her married name allows her be listed first
among the Georgia Traveler hosts. Keely has spent the last 7 years as
producer of the Georgia Outdoors series and that experience combined
with her great sense of direction and photographic memory made Keely an
ideal addition to the Georgia Traveler team. Who needs a map when
you've got Keely? She also has a talent for noticing and identifying
wildlife that the rest of us might find scary.
Phil Proctor, Producer/Host
A "Proctor" is a person appointed to manage the affairs of another or
to represent another in a judgment, which makes Phil Proctor the
perfect man to judge who in Georgia has the best food. Phil, a former
college football offensive lineman, has years of experience as an eater
and shares his knowledge and expertise in his Georgia Traveler
segments. If you are looking for a great place to eat, anywhere in the
state, you can't miss any of Phil's Fantastic Food Finds.
David Zelski, Series Producer/Host
The name "Zelski" has no root
meaning, which often describes Mr. Zelski's stories. David was born in
Atlanta, Georgia and is now getting the opportunity venture outside the
perimeter, and explore the rest of the state. He has won several awards for his business and public affairs programming but now tries his hand at traveling Georgia and couldn't be happier. Mr. Zelski's stories for Georgia Traveler, aim to capture the true
essence of the Peach State in a fun, quirky and often enjoyable manner.
Valarie Edwards, Producer/Host
Valarie is taken from the Latin word valor, meaning boldness or determination, bravery and spirit. Anyone who knows Valarie can attest that she lives up to her Latin name. Originally from NYC, it is boldness and determination which have taken her from the San Francisco Bay, first to Connecticut, then to Ohio and here to Georgia. As an award winning journalist and the newest member of the Georgia Traveler team, Valarie is thrilled to have an opportunity to explore this beautiful state from the mountains to the coast. Now, if only the producers would leave her time to do a little shoe shopping!
Jennifer Houston Wood, Segment Producer
In an attempt to
balance out the mostly male staff of Georgia Traveler, the team has
brought in rookie producer Wood to keep the boys in check. Growing up
in small town Georgia has only greater prepared Wood for the
challenging task of finding fun and entertainment around the state.
Jenny Wood is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in
Telecommunications. She is currently the Associate Producer for
Original Productions at the station. She is an accomplished AP with a
diversity of credits including Georgia Weekly, Georgia's Business, and
State of the Arts.
Sammy Jones, Associate Producer
A 2005 graduate of the
Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at UGA, Sammy
first came to GPB as a Lawmakers intern in 2006. Since then he as
climbed the broadcasting ladder, finally ascending to rank of tape
watcher and interview typer (read: associate producer). In his
spare time, Sammy enjoys hanging out in the GPTV tape library, watching
old episodes of Lawmakers, and dreaming of the days when 2-inch tape
machines and 16mm film were the industry standard.
Ashlie M. Wilson, Executive Producer
Although she loves producing individual segments, Ashlie finds her greatest joy is being in charge of the show (since season one). Often called "Boss", she has lovingly watched each Traveler episode no fewer than 27 times. An Emmy-award winning writer and producer, Ashlie was mentored by Gerald Bryant for close to a decade, which not only increased her appreciation of humor in general, but prepared her well for the role she now fills. According to her mother, her tendency to be a bossy smart aleck has been prevalent since her teenage years.
Photographers
Even though they're shooting video and not stills, the masters of our images prefer to be called photographers. Because Georgia Traveler is such a team effort, there really is no chief photographer, but our primary photographers have been Mitchell Zastrow, Charlene Fisk, and Shane Keating. Dan Hodlick and Kevan Ward have also shot for Traveler on occasion, as has the multi-talented Phil Proctor.
Editors
Here you'll see a couple of name duplications, a testament to the teamwork- and multiple talents- of Georgia Public Broadcasting's Original Productions division. Charlene Fisk and David Zelski have completed various segments for Season 3 and Charlene is our show assembly editor. Recently, they have been aided by the fabulous Renee Burton, our Production Assistant/Edit Assistant.
The name "Bryant" is a variation of the English surname BRYAN, from the Celtic given name Brian, containing a Celtic element, "bre," which means "hill." It's no wonder that Mr. Bryant led the Georgia Traveler team through the hills of Georgia down to the coast, sharing the sights and sounds of the Peach State with our viewers in season one. Gerald retired in 2007, but is pleased that the final GPB showcase of his talents was for Georgia's most important travel show ever. We miss him very much and bother him regularly by phone and email to see if he's traveling during his retirement.



