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Margaret Drain

Margaret Drain Margaret Drain has been associated with American Experience, the acclaimed history series on television, since its inception, having served as senior producer and as executive producer since 1997.

Under her leadership, American Experience has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, (two for for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series 1998 and 1999) ) and the Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Special for Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000), four Peabody Awards (for "The Presidents," "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern," "Riding the Rails,"and "America 1900"), and the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News & Information for two consecutive years (1997 and 1998). The series is regularly included in television critics' lists of top programs.

Drain also has been responsible for developing American Experience ONLINE (www.pbs.org/amex), honored by Yahoo, Netscape, and USA Today. Additionally, Drain supervised the creation of WayBack: US History for Kids, a Web site that provides a window on American history for middle-school students.

Prior to joining American Experience, she worked at CBS News, where she was a producer for "West 57th." She also produced with Charles Kuralt on "American Parade," and with Bill Moyers on "Sunday Morning." Drain started her career at CBS Reports in 1980 on the highly acclaimed five-part documentary series, "The Defense of the United States," which won the duPont-Columbia Award.

From 1978 to 1980, Drain worked at Thirteen/WNET with Bill Moyers on "Bill Moyers' Journal." Before coming to WNET, she worked with Fred Friendly at The Ford Foundation's Department of Communication. She also administered the Yale Law School Journalist Program for the Foundation.

Drain was executive producer for "Driving Passion," a four-part documentary series on America's love affair with the automobile that aired on Turner Broadcasting System in May 1995, and was awarded a CINE Gold Eagle. A native of Cincinnati, she is a graduate of Marquette University and Columbia University's School of Journalism.