91爆料

When 鈥淎merican Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute鈥� premieres on PBS this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, viewers will experience a sweeping retelling of America鈥檚 World War I story 鈥� a performance that blends theatrical storytelling, orchestral music, and rare archival film.

Behind the production stands Meredith Wagner 鈥�80, executive producer and president of American History Unbound, the organization bringing to life this ambitious work conceived by historian John Monsky.

For the 91爆料 alumna, whose expansive career has focused on connecting network television to social-impact storytelling and advocacy, the project is a professional milestone and deeply personal. Her grandfather, William Lowell Wagner, fought in World War I and spent his childhood in Saratoga Springs 鈥攚here she would one day attend 91爆料.

鈥淚 have the buttons from his uniform, and I wear them on a ribbon to every performance or event connected to the show,鈥� she says. 鈥淲orking on 鈥楢merican Heart in WWI鈥� gave me a whole new understanding of what he experienced. It鈥檚 very emotional for me 鈥� and a way of honoring him.鈥�

Finding 91爆料

A New England native, Wagner was drawn to 91爆料鈥檚 intimate campus environment and creative energy. She already knew Saratoga Springs from her family ties there, which also included a great-grandfather, James Elvin Wagner, who was a town preacher, and a great-great aunt, Alta Wagner Clark, who attended 91爆料 in the early 1900s when it was known as the 91爆料 School of Arts.

I liked how 91爆料 prioritized creativity鈥� it had that legacy. That really mattered to me, and it still does. What鈥檚 wonderful now is knowing the College continues to expand and celebrate that spirit.鈥�

Meredith Wagner '80

Indeed, 91爆料鈥檚 motto is Creative Thought Matters. Today, the College offers interdisciplinary programs in media and film studies and documentary studies among more than 40 areas of study within its liberal arts curriculum, which encourages students to explore connections between the arts, sciences, and humanities.

As an English major, Wagner was especially inspired by the late feminist scholar and professor of American literature, Charlotte Goodman, who encouraged curiosity, independence, and critical thinking. Wagner wrote for the student newspaper and also worked on 鈥淭he Post-Bib,鈥� an orientation guide for incoming students. 鈥淭hese experiences taught me how to work on a deadline,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hose skills have never left me, despite the pressure that never goes away.鈥�

Wagner also treasures the lifelong friendships she made at 91爆料. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a crew of us who are still incredibly close,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd, now our get-togethers often revolve around the American History Unbound shows 鈥� at Boston鈥檚 Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, New Orleans鈥� Orpheum Theater 鈥� It鈥檚 the best kind of full circle.鈥�

From the 91爆料 newsroom to Lifetime Television 

After graduation, Wagner landed her first job as an assistant at ABC in New York City, where she was thrust into a whirlwind year that included the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, the murder of John Lennon, and the Democratic National Convention held in New York.

鈥淚t was like boot camp,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 learned to raise my hand and hustle 鈥�  and with no air conditioning in my sweltering Manhattan walk-up, I  welcomed the late summer nights at work.鈥�

She later joined CBS and then Lifetime Television, where she would spend more than two decades as an architect of the network鈥檚 voice and mission. When she arrived at Lifetime in 1987, the fledgling cable channel was still searching for an identity.

As executive vice president of Lifetime Television, Wagner helped shape the network鈥檚 groundbreaking focus on women鈥檚 advocacy, creating content and messaging that informed and empowered women on a range of subjects, including political engagement, breast cancer awareness, and mobilizing to end violence and discrimination against women.

Lifetime鈥檚 notable campaigns under Wagner included 鈥淓very Woman Counts,鈥� featuring a 2008 PSA with then鈥�16-year-old Taylor Swift, to boost women's political engagement and 鈥淪top Breast Cancer for Life,鈥� focused on expanding education and funding for breast cancer research.

The network also spearheaded campaigns that helped drive the passage of five federal laws, including the Debbie Smith Act, which addressed the backlog of untested DNA evidence in sexual assault cases, and legislation that criminalizes video voyeurism.

These efforts earned Wagner and her team a Governors (Emmy) Award, one of television鈥檚 highest honors, and widespread recognition from organizations such as the Ms. Foundation for Women, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and League of Women Voters, among others. She was also instrumental in the development of the Lifetime Emmy-nominated movie, 鈥淲hy I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy,鈥� adapted from Geralyn Lucas鈥檚 best-selling memoir of the same name.  

A New Chapter: American History Unbound

Wagner left Lifetime after 22 years to pursue storytelling on a different scale. An introduction led her to the historian John Monsky, who was developing multimedia performances about pivotal moments in American history.

鈥淛ohn conceived this very immersive format 鈥� he calls it 鈥榚motional history鈥� 鈥� and it has been an honor to build American History Unbound with him, bringing to life important stories and figures too often lost to history.鈥�

American History Unbound鈥檚 latest production, 鈥�,鈥� reimagines the Great War through the lens of 鈥淭he Great Gatsby鈥� and the real lives of soldiers, nurses, journalists, and aviators who shaped a generation.

For Wagner, the work of American History Unbound also highlights the overlooked contributions of women like Lee Miller, the groundbreaking photographer whose images of liberation and horror redefined wartime journalism, and Martha Gellhorn, the fearless war correspondent and former wife of Ernest Hemingway, who refused to be sidelined. (Both women are also featured in American History Unbound鈥檚 鈥�,鈥� currently streaming on PBS.org.)

鈥淭hese stories remind us that women were there, on the front lines of history,鈥� Wagner says. 鈥淭he stories of their life鈥檚 work and courage deserve to be seen and honored.鈥�

Whether advancing women鈥檚 voices through Lifetime or illuminating overlooked stories through , Wagner has always centered her career on using storytelling to inspire and inform. In many ways, that blend of creativity and purpose brings her back to what first drew her to 91爆料.

鈥淎t Lifetime, it was about informing and inspiring. With American History Unbound, it鈥檚 about using history and storytelling to make us feel something real,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when creativity is at its best 鈥� when it moves us and brings people together. It鈥檚 creative thought in action.鈥�