Jonathan Meath

Last updated
Jonathan Meath
Jonathan G Meath portrays Santa Claus.jpg
Meath as Santa Claus in 2010
Born (1955-09-16) September 16, 1955 (age 68)
Education Phillips Academy (1974)
Alma mater New York University (1979)
Occupations
Years active
  • 1980s–present (television career)
  • 2007–present (as Santa Claus)
EmployerAndanzura
Children Amelia Meath
Awards
Website meathmedia [4]

Jonathan Meath (born September 16, 1955) is an American television producer and director. [5] [6] He was senior producer of the television game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? [7] He also was a producer of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss [6] [8] and the 1990s' remake of Zoom. [9] [10] In addition, he is notable for having a dual career as a professional Santa Claus. He made numerous appearances in various media as Santa, including on Good Morning America , [11] at Radio City Music Hall with The Rockettes, [11] [12] [13] on the cover of Boston Magazine , and on a Delta Air Lines' pre-flight safety demonstration. [14] He was described by National Public Radio [15] [16] and Time as a "top Santa". [14]

Contents

Television career

Meath attended Phillips Academy and graduated in 1974 with the school's first coeducational class. [8] He graduated from New York University in 1979. During the 1980s Meath worked at CBS, Business Times, The Creative Establishment, MTV Networks and Greenwood Productions in various capacities.[ citation needed ] During 19961998, he produced shows for the Jim Henson Company called The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss . He produced for PBS 295 half-hour episodes of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? , as well as 80 episodes of Zoom .

Career

Meath, whose beard and hair went white early in life, [17] noticed that children sometimes called him "Santa". He is slightly overweight he has described himself as an "organic Santa" [11] and his wife bought him a red suit. [13] He attended schools to learn the craft of being a Santa. [11] [18] He appeared in parades. [19] He is a professional vocalist. [12] In 2012, he appeared as Santa at Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular show in New York City. [11] [14] Meath uses his real beard but conditions it with a "shimmer-like shampoo known as Cowboy Magic, and uses hair gel for his mustache. [20] His role as Santa was described in numerous publications. [12] [16] [17] In 2009, he appeared in a thirty-second television commercial spot for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. [14]

Personal life

Meath has one child and lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts. His mother was activist and historian Mary Stewart Hewitt. [21] He is the great great grandson of businessman and sportsman John Malcolm Forbes and the great great great grandson of railroad industrialist John Murray Forbes. [21] Through this, Meath is distantly related to John Kerry. Meath's daughter, Amelia Randall Meath, is a member of the bands Mountain Man [22] and Sylvan Esso.

Awards

YearResultAwardCategoryNotes
2005Won Carnegie Medal Excellence in children's videosFableVision's The Dot [2] [23]
Nominated Daytime Emmy Outstanding Pre-School Children's SeriesPaz [24]
2001NominatedOutstanding Children's SeriesZoom [25]
2000NominatedZoom [26]
1997Nominated Emmy Outstanding Children's Program The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss [1] [25]
1996NominatedDaytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesWhere in the World is Carmen Sandiego? [25]
1993Won George Foster Peabody Award Excellence for overall showWhere in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

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