Ken Burns Joins Tauck Guests and Travel Advisors for Live Online Event

WILTON, CT (April 21, 2022) Sixteen-time Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his longtime collaborator Dayton Duncan joined Tauck for an exclusive online event yesterday to discuss their latest film, Benjamin Franklin, and their 11-year travel partnership with Tauck. The live, invitation-only Zoom presentation was attended by more than 2,500 Tauck guests, Tauck travel advisors and travel advisor clients, and is now available to all for viewing on the company's website. The event featured an interview with the filmmakers by Tauck's president Jennifer Tombaugh plus a Q&A session featuring questions submitted by the audience. Benjamin Franklin premiered earlier this month, and the two-part, four-hour film was directed and executive produced by Burns and written by Duncan.

"Through our Ken Burns American Journeys partnership, more than a thousand lucky Tauck guests have enjoyed the chance to personally meet Ken and Dayton over the years, and over 200,000 have enjoyed Tauck travel experiences enhanced by their storytelling," said Tombaugh. "We were absolutely thrilled to host this Zoom event with Ken and Dayton to celebrate the premiere of Benjamin Franklin, and give thousands of additional Tauck guests and our travel advisors the chance to 'meet' these two incredible filmmakers."

Tauck has worked with Burns and Duncan since 2011 to craft exclusive travel experiences that explore the places and themes highlighted in the filmmakers' documentaries. The company's three-pronged "Ken Burns American Journeys" partnership includes itineraries designed in cooperation with Burns and Duncan, single-departure "Ken Burns Events" featuring personal appearances by the filmmakers, and more than 150 "Stories by Ken Burns" vignettes; short videos featuring Burns and Duncan in which they share their insights and personal perspectives on the places Tauck guests are visiting.

Guests on Tauck's "In Freedom's Footsteps: Philadelphia to Washington, DC" itinerary, for example, view more than a dozen of the short films (each approximately 8 – 10 minutes long) over the course of their 11-day journey, which explores the mid-Atlantic region's critical role in U.S. history. Several of the featured vignettes highlight Benjamin Franklin's adopted city of Philadelphia, while others provide insights on the complex legacy of Thomas Jefferson, the critical Civil War battle at Gettysburg, and abolitionist John Brown's failed raid at Harpers Ferry. In all, "Stories by Ken Burns" vignettes are featured on nearly 20 Tauck itineraries.

ENGAGING GUESTS WITH INSIDETAUCK EVENTS
The Tauck webinar with Burns and Duncan took place from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, April 20, with email invitations sent to past and prospective Tauck guests, as well as Tauck's network of travel advisor partners (who could extend the invitation to their clients). The webinar marked the 40th installment in the company's exclusive insideTauck series of online events.

Launched in March 2020, the insideTauck events were created to bring the Tauck experience into the homes of the company's guests at a time when Tauck was unable to physically bring travelers to those experiences. insideTauck guest speakers and presenters have included many of the company's partners from around the world, including naturalists, museum curators, art historians and chefs, as well as Tauck's own tour architects and Tauck Director guides. The one-hour events have been incredibly popular, reaching over 60,000 travelers and averaging approximately 2,000 attendees each.

About Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan: Ken Burns has produced more than 40 award-winning documentaries, beginning with Brooklyn Bridge in 1981 and moving on to The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz and The National Parks: America's Best Idea. In the last five years alone, new films by Burns have included The Vietnam War, Country Music, Hemingway and Muhammad Ali, among others. In addition to winning sixteen Emmy Awards, Burns's films have earned two Oscar nominations.

Dayton Duncan is the author of 13 books and is a longtime creative partner in Ken Burns's films. The many signature films that Duncan has contributed to as a producer and/or writer include The West, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, Mark Twain, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, The Dust Bowl, Country Music and, most recently, Benjamin Franklin.

About Tauck: Founded in 1925, Tauck is a world leader in upscale guided travel, with more than 150 land tours, safaris, river cruises and small ship ocean cruises to 70+ countries and all seven continents. In each of the last 24 years, Tauck has been honored in Travel + Leisure magazine's annual "World's Best Awards" celebrating the very best in luxury tours, cruises, hotels and more.

Those interested in more information can contact their local travel professional, call Tauck at 800 468 2825, or visit the company's website at www.tauck.com (www.tauck.ca in Canada, www.tauck.co.uk in the UK, www.tauck.com.au in Australia/New Zealand). 

- end -

PLEASE NOTE: High-res images available for download at www.tauck.com/mediaimages.