About Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop, the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street, which was co-created by her. Cooney grew up in Phoenix and earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working for the State Department in Washington, D.C., and as a journalist in Phoenix, she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in New York City. In 1961, she became interested in working for educational television, and became a documentary producer for New York's first educational TV station WNET. Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys.
Known for:
Sesame Street|The Electric Company
Notable works:
The Electric Company: television and reading, 1971-1980
Awards:
Presidential Medal of Freedom|National Humanities Medal|National Women's Hall of Fame|International Emmy Founders Award|Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community|Bower Award for Business Leadership|honorary doctor of the University of Miami|Ladies' Home Journal Women of the Year
