PHOENIX (STN) – Two seasons, 20 shows, and dozens of crucial conversations are already in the rearview mirror. Now, with the premiere episode of season three of ‘It Happens at STN’ just a few weeks away, the creative team behind the show recently took the opportunity to look back at the last two years and examine whether they have succeeded in creating the better local media experience they set out to create.
“I think STN’s mission, along with community involvement with the brand, has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to the success of the show,” said STN CEO Eric Sperling.
Since its inception in the fall of 2022, each episode of ‘It Happens at STN’ featured important discussions, gone one-on-one with some of the best and brightest leaders in the community, and provided actionable solutions for the growing issues in the greater Phoenix area. And it all happens in front of a live studio audience that is packed with difference-makers.
“There are many tremendous organizations convening local leadership for the purpose of solving problems,” Sperling said. “But our partners describe the atmosphere at STN as a ‘vibe and a tribe’ that cannot be replicated.”
The live show experience has evolved in many ways since the show debuted while the original goal of bringing together some of the best minds dedicated to solving systemic problems has only grown.
“To have seen and experienced such explosive growth during the last two seasons has exceeded our wildest expectations and is a testament to our partners and our STN team,” said Chief Communications Officer Kathy Clark. “The leaders who are coming through our doors are busy people. It is so heartening to know they are taking time out of their schedules to collaborate with us and show up on game day, to the extent that we sell out show after show now.”
Sperling agreed and added that the exciting atmosphere of the live show is not only unique but pivotal to its success.
“Where else can you walk into a TV studio with 100 other driven community leaders, Kendrick Lamar blasting on the speakers, CEOs buzzing with excitement to share their solutions, crucial partnerships being formed in the moment, and all of it getting molded into a lasting media asset produced by some of the most experienced and talented people in local television?”
Those experienced and talented people Sperling referred to are led through each show by Clark, who handles the executive producing duties, and Chief Production Officer Jody Isaac who manages the execution of the live show.
Isaac said one of the most positive aspects he thinks about heading into season three is the overall quality of the broadcast and the high-profile guests who have taken part.
“I recently watched episode one of season one,” Isaac said. “To see the improvement in production quality and the growing list of guest panelists is more than I could have envisioned. Having no proof of concept or any other show to compare it to, it’s really impressive to see what we have created from nothing.”
While Sperling, Isaac, and Clark all shared their excitement over what the ‘It Happens at STN’ experience has become in just two short seasons, each of them is even more excited that the show has succeeded in becoming an agent of change.
“It’s not hard to see that this type of atmosphere and media experience is exactly what community leaders have been waiting for,” Sperling said.
“You dream about having a production like this that will grow, evolve, and create real solutions and mean something to people,” Clark added.
“Guests are gushing over what they saw and are in awe that there is an organization like ours doing the work that we are doing,” Isaac concluded. “It’s very gratifying to know that we are really making a difference in our community.”
As was the case with both previous seasons of ‘It Happens at STN,’ season three will feature 10 new episodes, one each month, debuting this September and running through July 2025.
