Bringing together deep roots in St. Louis, national reporting experience, acclaimed documentary storytelling, and a commitment to elevating underrepresented voices, Nine PBS’s newest additions to our producing team reflect the breadth and depth of the communities we serve.
Together, they strengthen Nine PBS’s commitment to expand local storytelling in new directions and deepen our ability to civically engage our community. “These new producers will allow us to amplify and deepen our storytelling to help our region flourish, helping us continue to shift the narrative in the St. Louis region,” says Aja Williams, vice president and chief content officer, Nine PBS.
Jimmy Himes-Ryann, Producer
Jimmy Himes-Ryann is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. They will produce a range of public affairs and news coverage across the region.
Their reporting has earned three Emmy nominations, two New Mexico Broadcasters Association Multimedia Journalist of the Year awards, and two Idaho Press Club Awards.
Their photojournalism, exploring LGBTQIA+ experiences through an intersectional lens, was featured in a solo gallery exhibition in 2025, and selections from their portfolio have been shown in fine art galleries throughout the U.S.
Rose LaForest, Report for America Corps Member
Rose LaForest will work with Nine PBS to provide solutions-focused reporting on agriculture, the environment, and rural communities as part of Report for America, a national service program. She will cover agriculture in partnership with The Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk.
Rose has produced work for Graham Media Group, Detroit PBS, and received her master’s degree in video and broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She most recently produced explainers for WSLS-TV in Roanoke, VA, as part of an experimental program testing storytelling methods for broadcast journalism.
Genell Reynolds, Producer
Genell Reynolds, producer for Living St. Louis, is a St. Louis native. She contributes a passion for stories about underrepresented communities. Genell is a Lindenwood University alum with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. Before joining Nine PBS, she worked at a local news station as a digital producer.
Kara Vaninger, Senior Producer
Veteran filmmaker Kara Vaninger returns to Nine PBS with an Emmy-winning track record of creating thoughtful, deeply researched documentaries that capture the region’s character and history. She worked at Nine PBS for 14 years before stepping away to serve as lead producer and writer on a nationally syndicated interview show. Her past credits at Nine PBS include producer for Living St. Louis, Arts America, Sci-Tech Now, and an Emmy win for A Baseball Legacy: Fans Remember the St. Louis Browns, to name a few. She also won an Emmy as an independent storyteller at HEC-TV.
After graduating with a major in cinematography from South Seas Film and Television School in Auckland, New Zealand, she moved back to the same south St. Louis neighborhood she grew up in and began freelancing for Nine PBS. Kara began working at Nine PBS as part of the studio crew, and eventually created long-form documentaries, including the Emmy-nominated Mid-Century Modern in St. Louis and Head over Heels: Remembering Wrestling at the Chase. She was named Media Person of the Year in 2021 by the St. Louis Press Club, with the rest of the Living St. Louis team.
Contributed by Lynanne Feilen, communications manager