By Estibaliz Garcia
Director Matt Brawley with hosts Gary Polland & David Jones on the new Red, White and Blue Set
The new season of Red, White and Blue recently premiered with a fresh set created by Matthew Brawley, the show's director. Gary Polland and David Jones are hosts of the locally-produced HoustonPBS political affairs program.
In December, Lisa Trapani Shumate, the new Executive Director and General Manager of Houston Public Media, proposed the idea for the new set. Brawley's experience working behind the camera helped him design the project.
Mayor Annise Parker on the old set
"I was intimately familiar with the set as it was and had some ideas just from working on it for so many years," said Brawley, who worked as a cameraman for several years before becoming director.
"It was really hard to direct the show before because the angles weren't right, the people were too close together and the angles were too narrow", said Brawley.
Houston City Council Members on Red, White and Blue
Brawley worked with Frank Castro, HoustonPBS Production Manager, to bring his design to life. Every detail of Red, White and Blue's lively new set design reflects the content and spirit of the show—from the use the American flag colors to graphics of national and local landmarks to an eye-catching wooden, Plexiglass-topped desk.
With the help of A&E- the Graphics Complex, and Lucas Craftsmanship Inc., the new set was finalized in less than two months. So what do the hosts think about their new set?
"It's a cutting edge venue for the critical public affairs discussions that take place on Red, White and Blue every week. It demonstrates Channel 8’s commitment to our program, the community and current events discussions," said co-host, Gary Polland.
Houston City Council Members on Red, White and Blue
"It was exciting to get the chance to work on something like this, and I really appreciated the faith that Lisa showed in giving me that chance," said Brawley. "It was a mixture of relief and happiness to finally see it on air."
Matt Brawley directing Red, White and Blue
You can watch Red, White and Blue Fridays at 7:30 p.m. or Sundays at 5:00 p.m. on HoustonPBS/Channel 8. Let us know what you think about the new set. Send an email to redwhiteandblue@houstonpbs.org.
