National Geographic Channel and GE Develop an Innovative New Series: BREAKTHROUGH

National Geographic Channel and GE partnered to develop BREAKTHROUGH, a new series produced by Imagine Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment premièring on November 8 on DStv Channel 181 at 20:00.

Executive produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Steve Michaels, Jonathan Koch and Mark Dowley, BREAKTHROUGH is an anthology about leading scientists and how their cutting-edge innovations and advancements will change our lives in the immediate future and beyond. The series intends to bring to life the stories, people and technology behind these breakthroughs, and show how they are changing our world.

Each hour-long episode is directed by a Hollywood visionary, with Angela Bassett, Peter Berg, Paul Giamatti, Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brett Ratner as the first six directors.

This six part series will explore remarkable breakthroughs in brain science, longevity, water, energy, pandemics and cyborg technology. Howard directs the longevity episode, Giamatti investigates the latest in technology, Ratner explores the brain, Berg tackles pandemics, Bassett deals with water issues and Goldsman tackles energy.

Additional executive producers include Michael Rosenberg from Imagine Entertainment, Ryann Lauckner and Kurt Sayenga from Asylum Entertainment, Beth Comstock from GE, and Michael Cascio and Allan Butler from National Geographic Channels.

Life-saving, mind-boggling innovation is a part of everyday life, so we sometimes take it for granted. It happens in the blink of an eye — on battlefields and playgrounds, in supercolliders and the International Space Station, in smart homes and smart cars. These are modern-day revolutions in how we live. BREAKTHROUGH explores the courage, imagination, passion and self-sacrifice of the scientists bringing these innovations to life.

“Modern science and technology are the keys to addressing the challenges the world is facing today,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Channels. “By partnering with GE — as dedicated to science and innovation as we are — and by working with top-tier directors at the helm, BREAKTHROUGH will celebrate the curiosity, innovation and exploration of our world, and spotlight the individuals and institutions at the center of these groundbreaking achievements.”

“GE has always been driven by restless invention,” said Beth Comstock, CMO at GE and president of GE Business Innovations. “New technologies are disrupting the world every day on personal, economic and social levels, and the efforts that go into fueling that — though often unseen — can be astounding. This project will lift the lid to reveal our civilization’s tremendous evolution and still-to-be-tapped potential.”

“GE’s involvement brings a certain poetic justice to this endeavor,” said producer Brian Grazer. “Thomas Edison, GE’s founder, and Alexander Graham Bell, a founding member of the National Geographic Society, are two of our greatest inventors. Their breakthroughs laid the foundation for tremendous innovation and continue to inspire generations of scientists and engineers. That same spirit will, no doubt, be evident in every episode.”

Ron Howard agreed: “While Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison seem odd bedfellows, their infamous enmity actually benefited their inventiveness as each man sought to outdo the other. It seems fitting that their legacies will come together to celebrate and foster the creativity of other inventors and innovators who astound us every day with their ideas.”

Executive producer Steve Michaels added, “It’s a privilege to tell the stories behind our greatest innovations. Technology is advancing so swiftly, it’s as if every day there’s another jaw-dropping transformative moment. The stories about what’s behind those moments are as incredible as the breakthroughs themselves.”

GE and National Geographic Channel are united in their commitment to inspire the most curious minds the world over with the new series BREAKTHROUGH.