“Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch…”
We like to consider ourselves some of the best matchmakers in the science and entertainment game. Finding scientists to explore some of the most remote and often obscure corners of their field to enrich Hollywood plotlines is the name of our game; and it’s not always so easy. Filmmakers have tough questions and scientists often have to dig deep to answer questions that you certainly won’t find in a textbook.
These relationships mirror real-life relationships, romantic or otherwise. Sometimes it’s a slow-burn, taking time to get to know one another, working together through questions that might leave both parties scratching their heads. But other times its love at first sight, with sparks of ideas flying around the moment two people meet. Sometimes chemistry is visible – when its right, it’s right.
We’ve made over 800 successful matches over the past five years, but we think we hit it out of the park when we introduced Neil deGrasse Tyson to Seth MacFarlane. Since their initial meeting these two have been making amazing things happen in Hollywood, namely producing and starring in the reboot of one of our favorite shows Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
Now, whether you’re a lifetime devotee or a first time viewer, it was clear from Sunday’s opening sequence that it didn’t matter. Neil welcomed PhD’s and science newbie’s alike to spend an hour with him, exploring the intricacies of what he calls “our long address”.
Our offices may reside in California, and D.C., but, as Neil explains it we are all residents of Earth, followed by the Solar System – Milky Way Galaxy – Local Group – Virgo Supercluster – Observable Universe. Too long for a postcard, yes, but not too complex for Neil to explain!
The Ship of Imagination, an old friend from Cosmos’ past, has been given a serious facelift. But it still serves the same purpose – taking viewers where they may never have ventured on their own. In the first episode, Neil takes viewers through a year in the life of the universe. Taking a look at what the timeline would look like if it was condensed down into just 365 days. It looks like a pretty busy social calendar to us! Blink at the wrong second and you could miss the birth of Jesus or the death of the dinosaurs. The list of events literally goes on forever.
We tip our hat to Fox for giving Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey a primetime Sunday slot and can’t wait for the next episode!
