Who was the original executive producer of the children's television series, produced by Sesame Workshop and created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett?
David Connell (television producer) David Connell (1931–1995) was the original executive producer for "Sesame Street", and Children's Television Workshop's vice-president in charge of production. Connell, who had been a producer for the CBS children's program "Captain Kangaroo", played a key role in establishing the basic format of the "street" skits. He was also the principal creative behind The Man from Alphabet, a series of live action skits starring Gary Owens which failed in child tests and were never aired on "Sesame Street". Connell received his B.A. in 1955 and his M.A. in 1956, both from the University of Michigan.
List of human Sesame Street characters Since the premiere of the children's television program "Sesame Street" on November 10, 1969, it has included what writer Malcolm Gladwell has called "the essence of "Sesame Street"—the artful blend of fluffy monsters and earnest adults". The original cast, chosen by original producer Jon Stone, consisted of four human actors—Matt Robinson, who played Gordon; Loretta Long, who played Gordon's wife, Susan; Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper; and Bob McGrath, who played Bob. Unlike most children's television programs at the time, the producers of "Sesame Street" decided against using a single host and cast a group of ethnically diverse, primarily African American actors/presenters, with, as "Sesame Street" researcher Gerald S. Lesser put it, "a variety of distinctive and reliable personalities".