Select Texas Monthly stories are coming to the screen on PBS

Have you ever picked up a copy of Texas Monthly and gotten pulled into one of those long reads that magazines do best? Or maybe you make a habit of reading their content online?

Starting this month, people who love stories about the Lone Star State will be able to see some Texas Monthly stories on TV. The magazine is partnering with PBS and launching “Texas Monthly Presents” to bring the publication’s journalism from the pages to the screen.

Owen Schwartzbard, senior video producer at Texas Monthly, said the goal of the project is to reach new audiences.

“Our stories are known for being very visual, for having a lot of rich texture in their storytelling, and just being great stories led by really passionate voices and our writers,” he said. “In this first season, we’re going to take some of our favorite Texas Monthly stories and bring them from page to screen.

“And we’re transforming them into these documentaries that will be led by the perspective of a Texas Monthly writer. And they’ll take you on this journey, talk about not just the story, but the story behind the story and how it all came about.”

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Schwartzbard said his favorite story in the first season is by Texas Monthly writer Sasha von Oldershausen.

“It follows a hospice nurse taking care of this huge county, the largest in Texas, Brewster County,” he said. “But Sasha, having lived out there, also gives us insight into how things like healthcare look in a place that’s more remote. And so, because she’s spent time out there, she knows that place, she has this passion for telling that story. And so it really brings that to the forefront of the video as well.”

Schwartzbard said his team is going through the Texas Monthly archives to pick stories that are a good fit for adaptation.

“What we’re looking for with this series were stories that still felt ongoing, that we could visit the characters and go to those places, and the writers’ reporting still was taking place and something we can capture and show audiences firsthand,” he said. “But the most important thing was just to hear our writers, understand kind of what makes them tick, what’s interesting to them about the state of Texas, to kind of better understand where we are as a state, and ultimately where we’re headed.”

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This TV series is just one of several ways Texas Monthly has been branching out to reach a wider audience, Schwartzbard said.

“I’m just really excited that people are able to experience Texas Monthly in a new way,” he said. “Most people think of us as a magazine, but in recent years [we’ve started] doing podcasts. You can now see some of our stories being adapted in Hollywood. And so this is just another way that audiences who might not have encountered our stories or our writers have a chance to see that and learn about us.”

“Texas Monthly Presents” launches on PBS Texas stations on May 4.

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