Kirsch named VP & Executive Producer Digital Media Content at HITN.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, President and CEO of Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), announced that three-time Emmy Award winner, Beth Kirsch, joins the organization as Vice President and Executive Producer of Digital Media Content. Kirsch will oversee the $30 Million 2010 Ready to Learn Project LAMP (Learning Apps Media Partnership), recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to HITN and partners: Callaway Digital Arts and the Michael Cohen Group LLC.

Rodriguez said, “The addition of Beth to the executive team at HITN is a crucial part of our strategy to launch HITN into the next phase of education and empowerment for Hispanics nationwide. Her extensive and distinguished background in production, education, and outreach will be crucial in advancing our mission. She will ensure that the highest standards of excellence in education are achieved in Project LAMP and set the bar for all of HITN’s future educational content.”

Project LAMP will create highly engaging, digital learning applications to build reading and math skills for children ages three through eight. The content will be largely available as an open educational resource and use iPad/Touch Screen applications, mobile device and smartphone applications, an interactive Website, television, and books. All content and products will have broad market appeal and educational impact, and will specifically target low-income children, including English Language Learners (ELLs), and their families.

“HITN’s focus on developing content for newly emerging technologies, in partnership with local and national organizations, presents an exciting opportunity to take educational media to the next level,” said Kirsch. “We are among the first group of Ready to Learn recipients stepping into the uncharted territory of transmedia and exploring how multiple technology platforms can expand the reach and impact of quality, early learning content; especially for low-income families and English Language Learners.”

Beth Kirsch comes to HITN from WGBH-TV in Boston where she was Series Producer for the ten-time Emmy Award-winning series Between the Lions. This PBS children’s literacy series, which premiered in April 2000, was funded in part by a Ready to Learn grant. Between the Lions garnered multiple awards including Emmy Awards for Outstanding Pre-school Children’s Series, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Music Direction and Composition. Additionally, the series won two Parents’ Choice Gold Awards and two Television Critics Awards. With more than 20 years of experience in public television, Kirsch brings expertise in educational media, animation, writing, editing, outreach, and fundraising. During her time at WGBH-TV, Kirsch raised many millions in funds for television production and outreach initiatives focusing on literacy, science, literature, social issues, and health.