National Memorial Day Concert
The National Memorial Day Concert honors our country’s veterans, servicemen and women and military families. For 35 years, this multi-award-winning television event, featuring uplifting musical performances, documentary footage and dramatic readings, has become an American tradition and is one of PBS’ highest-rated programs.
Working agency-side, I edited original video content for the 2024 concert. These clips were featured on the official social media accounts for the event and as a backdrop during key moments of the show. I also managed all promotional output on social channels during show season, including the creation of original graphics, reels and live clips on show night.
Jack Moran Excerpt.
WW2 veteran Jack Moran was one of three central servicemembers spotlighted during the 2024 concert. Interviewed by our team months before the show, the content of his interview was turned into a script to be used in a live recounting, with actor Bryan Cranston narrating Jack’s wartime experience in his own words.
This cut from the original interview features Jack reflecting on his experiences in WW2, and was later used by PBS in honor of his 99th birthday.
Korean War Excerpt.
This clip provides an example of the concert’s structure, built around the stories of key individuals. Host Joe Mantegna sets the stage as we’re introduced to several veterans of the Korean War. They describe their personal experiences in the conflict before appearing onstage themselves to be honored by the entire cast and audience.
I edited this particular sequence after the concert, blending both the interview packages (projected on a large screen during the show) with footage of the veterans’ live appearance.
Additional Content:
In addition to show-season content in May, I managed the NMDC social channels year-round, creating original content and copy. I also created cutdowns from past shows with unused b-roll, designed graphics in Canva, and created photo reels for social stories.
