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, 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.
John Matheos, Producer/Editor
Although his given Greek name is "Yanni", do not confuse our chief
editor with the musician famous for his performances on PBS. He may not
be a self-taught pianist, but he's a darn good Avid editor. John joins
the Traveler team fresh off of two GPB documentaries, "Sites to Behold:
The History of Georgia's State Parks" and "More Georgia Backroads". His
skills are in high demand, but he wanted to work with us anyway.
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
She might have just
gotten the big title this year, but Ashlie has been in charge 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 Charlene
Fisk, Dan Hodlick and our own John Matheos. Shane Keating and Mitchell
Zastrow have shot for Traveler on occasion, as has the multi-talented
Phil Proctor.
Editors
Here you'll see a lot of name duplication, a
testament to the teamwork of Georgia Public Broadcasting's Original
Productions division. John Matheos, Charlene Fisk, David Zelski, Dan
Hodlick, Mitchell Zastrow and Shane Keating all completed various
segments throughout the season.
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.
