Behind the Scenes with Pocono Television Network
Join the Pocono Television Network crew for a day on location in the Pocono Mountains!
Quiet on set everybody, Chris and Deanna are out in the Poconos to make another great segment for you viewers at home. We wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to make PTN - the Pocono Television Network.
It may appear as though the PTN crew is having a great time telling stories about the Poconos. That's because they are! Now in its 6th year of production, the Pocono Television Network keeps churning out content for viewers and on this day they were in Milford.
"The real star here is the Pocono Mountains, and all the stuff we have that's incredibly different," said Chris Barrett, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and host of the network.
Barrett and Deanna Fontanez teamed up again for some of the "must see's and do's" when in town. They're in front of the cameras while there's a huge crew behind!
Makeup, sound, show runners. Take One Productions has been there since the beginning of Pocono Television Network.
"When you have a beautiful day like today, every picture is postcard," said Kevin Martorana with Take One. "We have to find ways to make that really look nice and get across the idea this is where you want to come spend your hard earned dollars. This is where you want to come to enjoy a family vacation."
These segments in Milford, Honesdale, and other locations during a week-long shoot will soon be in high rotation on your televisions, smart devices and more! And it takes a lot of planning and preparation to pull it all off.
"We do a lot of planning for this," said Kate Croll who handles logistics, planning and crews for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and PTN. "Months prior to the shoot we're figuring out the call to action, we're writing scripts, figuring out which members and businesses fit that and then communicating with those members and our partners to develop the content."
"It's always very gratifying.. humbling in a lot of ways too. Hey the reason we came here is we saw your television commercial.. we saw or PTN. they feel confident enough about what they saw to spend their personal time with us, their vacation time which is really sacred. It's gratifying and humbling in a lot of ways," said Barrett.
"What I love the most is I get to experience things that you probably wouldn't think of, try things and tell the viewers," said Fontanez.
Deanna and Chris get to meet the people of the Poconos just like Jim and Brianna and tell their stories.
"You've got hosts, Jim Hamill, Brianna Strunk, Deanna and Chris. They all have their great strengths individually I think that shows what this area can provide for tourists here. Deanna wants to get out and do whitewater rafting and paintballs, you do stuff too. James and Brianna do really interesting stories. Sometimes it's the news stories that hit the communities," said Martorana.
"I feel like the hidden gems in the Poconos, shops, boutiques, restaurants, breweries wineries and distilleries," said Deanna. "I think people tend to think of Poconos as skiing and tubing, but it's so much more, there's so much to do every season, and show everyone what we love."
"When we started PTN, we have a great team that are passionate and dedicate about the Pocono Mountains and about telling really great stories," added Barrett. "That's where the value of watching PTN is.. it goes way beyond the 15 or 30 second commercial, it digs into the story. Tells you why people are passionate and dedicate their lives to providing a great hospitality experience in the Pocono Mountains."
Next time you watch something on Pocono Television Network, remember just how much goes into sharing these stories, the long hours, the additional takes and know that PTN is, always, Pocono proud.