AncestorEbooks.com, an online company dedicated to the creation of personal family history Ebooks, announces Their Roots Are Showing, in Oakland, CA - hosted by The California Genealogical Society through the Lesher Center. Their Roots Are Showing is a live show and will include three Bay Area celebrities; Billy Beane, the Vice President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics; Natalie Coughlin, the most decorated female Olympic medalist of all time; and Tim "Herb" Alexander, drummer for the Grammy-nominated rock band Primus.
These three celebrities will be onstage with genealogist, Gianna Suter-Franco, who is the MC, and a 12' X 12' projection screen. The format of Their Roots Are Showing is much the same as Who Do You Think You Are, however instead of traveling to their ancestral lands, the ancestral lands will be brought to them via video, maps, documents and photos. [bit.ly/1eAANm4]
In a long distance interview by Hack Genealogy, Therese Hart-Pignotti, the producer of Their Roots Are Showing, said, "I wanted diversity and that could have been by ethnicity, sex, or other areas. I just didn't want three football players, or a panel of musicians. I thought it would limit the audience. If we got something for everyone, a champion Olympian, a critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated musician, and a former Major League Baseball player who just happened to have his adult life story portrayed by Brad Pitt in an Oscar nominated film, how could we go wrong?"
None of the celebrities know exactly what information will be presented the night of the show. However, each celebrity has been given a brief synopsis for their approval. Billy Beane's father came from North Carolina, and his maternal side represent early immigrants, coming from across an ocean and from north of our border. DNA will be used during Tim Alexander's segment to solve the mystery of his maternal side. His father's side will include information of early American and European immigration he has never known before! And Natalie Coughlin's family is quite diverse, including Irish immigrant, Filipino, and American roots. [bit.ly/1eAANm4]
"Their Roots Are Showing is quite the undertaking, however, it is exciting to see how the avenues for genealogy are going mainstream. Taking formats, such as 'Who Do You Think You Are?' & Genealogy Roadshow, and turning them into live productions is exciting. Celebrities inspire us, and after seeing their stories, we are more likely to want to research our own family history stories and to share those with others," says Gayla Mendenhall of AncestorEbooks. "When you take the time to learn your family stories, you can use that information through AncestorEbooks to create your own personal Ebooks to share with loved ones."
The California Genealogical Society, a library and research center, will present Their Roots Are Showing, an evening of surprise and discovery for three Bay Area celebrities on October 26, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. at the Del Valle Theater in Walnut Creek. [bit.ly/16jzWGv]
