WCTE's American Portrait Series features a collection of local stories throughout central Tennessee. Through the series, PBS will blend stories across the country into documentaries revealing what it really means to be an American.

The user-generated content brilliantly captures the tumultuous, historic year of the tornado and pandemic, offering an intimate look at the heart and soul of people throughout our region. In the first episode, “Belief and Risks,” unique stories are centered around ‘I was raised to believe’ and ‘I took a risk.’ In the second episode, “The Story of Now” feature stories centered around ‘when I step outside my door’ and ‘my Saturday looks like.’ And in the third episode, “Our American Story” features stories centered around ‘my American story started when’ and ‘heritage – traditions.’

“The American Portrait franchise has allowed us to share with our family, friends and neighbors throughout central Tennessee, a real, complex, and fascinating representation of who we are and what each of us represent. American Portrait serves as a reminder that we are more alike than different," said Brent Clark, Director of Content & Digital Media at WCTE PBS.

In January 2020, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, PBS launched an ambitious national storytelling project, American Portrait, inviting people across the country to participate in a national conversation about what it means to be an American today. The multiplatform experience, including a television series airs on PBS stations nationwide in January 2021, has created a communal voice through the individual stories of participants—each one a unique stitch in the beautiful, diverse quilt that is America.