A miniseries filmed predominantly in the Eastern Panhandle premieres Monday on the National Geographic Channel.
The 8-part miniseries titled, “American Genius,” was filmed mostly in Berkeley and Jefferson counties. It chronicles the competitions in innovation that pitted some of history’s brightest minds against each other in the race to lay claim to the future.
“American Genius” was produced by Emmy Award-winner Stephen David, who is based in New York City. David has filmed three other miniseries, all mostly in the Eastern Panhandle.
Pam Haynes is the director of the West Virginia Film Office. She says David prefers to film in West Virginia because he loves the region, but also because of West Virginia’s film tax program, which is used as an economic tool to recruit the film industry to conduct business in the state.
Haynes says getting the film industry to produce in the state is incredibly beneficial.
“It provides employment opportunities for West Virginia residents to be hired,” Haynes noted, “Gosh, from electricians and carpenters, set medics, set decorators, seamstresses, inventory managers. I mean it’s a laundry list of potential positions that are available on a large-scale production such as a type that Stephen David puts on.”
The National Geographic Channel will begin airing its 8-part miniseries, “American Genius” Monday, June 1 at 9 p.m.