Producer biographies: Predators of the West

Producer Biographies

Jim Peck (IdahoPTV, Host and lead producer). Jim, producer, writer and host, is relatively new to Idaho Public Television. He joined the staff in January 2001. A veteran of both PBS and commercial news, Peck has created a wide range of local and national programs. The long-running TECHNO received numerous national and regional awards including several Emmys, Tellys and the prestigious Golden Apple from the National Educational Media Association. His documentary work has also been rewarded with honors, in 1999 he won the Midwest Regional Emmy for Best Director Emmy with "Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wingspread." Peck’s work has been recognized for excellence in film festivals and television competitions in Houston, Chicago, Idaho and New York among others. As a producer for Idaho Public Television, he works on "Outdoor Idaho," "Idaho Reports," as well as documentaries and special projects.

John Howe (KUED, Mountain lion segment). John's most recent projects are the PBS special "Butch Cassidy and The Outlaw Trail" narrated by Hal Holbrook, the PBS special "Artists of the West," the national primetime PBS film "The Snow Wolves," and the PBS primetime music specials "The Gift of Music" and "A Christmas Gloria" starring Roma Downey from "Touched By An Angel" (the highest rated holiday performance special). Recently completed is "The Great Salt Lake: America’s Legacy of Wetlands" narrated by Academy Award winner Joanne Woodward. He is probably best known for his national PBS films, but also films for The Discovery Channel ("River of Stone" with Robert Redford narrating) and National Geographic Explorer ("Wild Horses") as well as others. His work has been recognized by many national film festivals including New York, Houston, San Francisco, Charleston, Flagstaff, U.S. International, Cindy, Telly, and Iris, as well as nine prestigious CINE Golden Eagles and sixteen regional Emmy awards. John Howe holds a Master’s Degree from San Diego State University in Television/Film and a Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona State University in Television. He is the author of articles for American Cinematographer magazine, Current magazine, and the feature film screenplay, THE DEER RIFLE.

Ed Jahn (Oregon Public Broadcasting, Wolf segment). Ed is a producer/writer with Oregon Public Broadcasting. A native of the Northeast, he has at various times taken up residence in Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and now Oregon. He first joined PBS in Denver in 1994 to produce and edit a series about outdoor lifestyles and the rural experience in the Rockies. Since joining Oregon Public Broadcasting in 2000, Ed has produced and written primarily for Oregon Field Guide, a program highlighting natural history, science and recreation in the Northwest. He is a fellow with the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources and has won 6 EMMY awards for his work on both series.

Geoff O'Gara (WyomingPTV, Grizzly bear segment). Geoff worked for newspapers in California and Washington, D.C., before moving to Wyoming in 1980 to edit High Country News. He has been a bureau chief for the Casper Star-Tribune, editor/publisher of the NNA 1st place small newspaper winner Dubois (Wyo) Frontier, and contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler. His most recent book, What You See in Clear Water (Knopf) won 'best non-fiction' from the Western Writers of America. Over the last decade he has produced and hosted numerous programs for Wyoming Public Television, including the series "Main Street, Wyoming," "The Yellowstone Tourist" (distributed through CPB), the magazine-style "Compass West," and the recent biographical "Washakie," which won a Telly.