Team Marco Polo

TeamMarcoPolo Produces New Episodes in Seattle

Friday, July 31, 2009 by teammarcopolo

Recession? What is that? After visits in London and Paris, TeamMarcoPolo is ready for new adventures! Getting kids interested in the world beyond their own backyard, different countries and cultures is important any time, not just when the economy is great!

TeamMarcoPolo, the funny Kids TV show is producing six new episodes in Seattle during the next six weeks. On the agenda are 2 episodes in Florence & Rome, one episode in the English countryside and a TeamMarcoPolo special. All of them introducing culture and teaching kids about vocabs, history and culture with a bunch of good laughs.

Director Bill Jeakle set the goals for the new set of episodes high: “Let’s make this show undeniably great!”

Austin and Alex set up Marco's study room background

Austin setting up KinoFlow light

After creating different sets and green screen earlier this week, shooting for the new episodes started on Wednesday with the opening scenes.

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In the opening, Marco Polo is traditionally at his desk introducing the show.

Marco's Desk (MarcoCam perspective)

But TeamMarcoPolo is going beyond its usual routine. Whereas the first episodes were establishing the illusion of a real Marco Polo, the show becomes more self-reflective in the new episodes, breaking the fourth wall.

Marco (played by Jonathan Wright) talks and interacts with director and crew members on the set.

Marco throwing grapes at Intern/Roman Slave Paul who has been pushed on the stage

As a Roman Patrician, Marco throws lavish parties that involve set interns (in ancient Rome unpaid workers were still called “Slaves”) dangling grapes into his mouth and fulfilling other crazy orders.

His mantra is “Do It Like the Romans Do”

Taking the saying seriously, the show reenacts different historical events through its prime character

“In 330, the emperor Constantine thought that the Roman empire would be more efficient if he split it in two. So I am splitting all my stuff in two! Do you have an Electron Microscope? I want to split an Atom. I hear it’s a blast!”

Constantin split the Roman Empire - Marco cracks up the entire set

During the shoot, the crew of TeamMarcoPolo keeps its fans updated online. Three pictures a day on Twitter and a new video on youtube each week will give the audience – American tweens, their parents and teachers – the opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes of this international travel show.

TeamMarcoPolo, produced by Filmateria Studios in Seattle will launch the new show on Marco Polo’s Birthday on September 15th (1254). Bill Jeakle has high hopes in the project: “Lots of humor is the way to get American kids interested and help them understand the global world out there.”