Join IndieWire and Disney for Our FYC ‘Jim Henson Idea Man’ Panel on May 24 at Vidiots in LA

IndieWire launched our “Pass the Remote” FYC TV screening series, produced in partnership with Disney, with a dynamic casting directors panel April 25, two Disney Storytellers panels April 29 (one with drama writers, one with comedy writers), and a panel about “Abbott Elementary” May 20.

Next up? A “Jim Henson Idea Man” panel on May 24 celebrating the documentary about the Muppets creator, which just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Like all events in the “Pass the Remote” screening series, it will take place at the Vidiots Foundation in Los Angeles’s Eagle Rock neighborhood.

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Legendary director Ron Howard will be in attendance on the panel, as will composer David Fleming and editor Paul Crowder. Howard is a two-time Oscar winner (for producing Best Picture winner “A Beautiful Mind,” for which he also won Best Director). In recent vintage, he’s become a more prolific documentary director, with films such as “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week” (2016), “Pavarotti” (2019), “Rebuilding Paradise” (2020), and 2022’s profile of Jose Andres and the World Central Kitchen, “We Feed People.”

“Jim Henson Idea Man” puts the spotlight on the Muppets creator who introduced his beloved felt creations to the world in the early 1960s with appearances on “The Steve Allen Show,” “The Jack Paar Program,” and “The Ed Sullivan Show,” before creating “Sesame Street” and eventually “The Muppet Show.” He died in 1990 at the age of 53 from complications resulting from a streptococcal infection.

“Pass the Remote” will continue through the end of May. IndieWire moderators will interview talent from shows across Disney’s linear and streaming portfolio.

“We’re excited to offer evenings of great TV and the first-person experiences of its creators,” said IndieWire senior VP and editor in chief Dana Harris-Bridson. “Partnering with Vidiots, one of our favorite screening locations, makes this a true IndieWire event.”

“We’re thrilled to launch this new series with FX, Disney, Hulu, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Nat Geo, and ABC and celebrate such a wide range of excellence in TV,” said IndieWire Senior VP & Publisher James Israel.

Read on for the current list of screenings and dates. RSVPs coming soon for the later events.

Friday, May 24: “Jim Henson Idea Man”
Attending Talent: Ron Howard, director; David Fleming, composer; Paul Crowder, editor
Moderator: Dana Harris-Bridson, SVP and Editor in Chief

Tuesday, May 28: “Reservation Dogs”
Attending Talent: Sterlin Harjo; Devery Jacobs; Lane Factor; Paulina Alexis

Awards Voters and Industry Professionals can apply to attend this series.

PREVIOUS PANEL EVENTS
WATCH: Thursday, April 25: Disney Casting Panel
Attending casting directors: Tiffany Little Canfield, “Only Murders in the Building”; Wendy O’Brien, “Abbott Elementary”; Kim Williams, “Genius: MLK/X”; Sarah Halley Finn, “Echo,” “Loki,” and “Ahsoka”; Jeanie Bacharach, “The Bear”
Moderator: Marcus Jones, Awards Editor, TV & Film

Monday, April 29: Two Disney Storytelling Panels
WATCH: The Drama Writers Panel
Attending Writers: Michael Dinner, “Justified: City Primeval”; Erica Lipez, “We Were the Lucky Ones”; Jeff Stetson, “Genius: MLK/X”; Samir Mehta, “Under the Bridge”
Moderator: Jim Hemphill, Features Writer

WATCH: The Comedy Writers Panel
Attending Writers: Tazbah Chavez, “Reservation Dogs”; Ben Smith, “Only Murders in the Building”; Ron Weiner, “Life & Beth”; Zach Dunn, “What We Do in the Shadows”; Jen D’Angelo, “Quiz Lady”
Moderator: Jim Hemphill, Features Writer

Monday, May 20: “Abbott Elementary”
Attending Talent:
Quinta Brunson, “Janine Teagues,” Creator, Executive Producer
Patrick Schumacker, Executive Producer
Justin Halpern, Executive Producer
Randall Einhorn, Executive Producer
Brian Rubenstein, Executive Producer

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