( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Sandra Restrepo Will Be The New Director For Miss America
For the first time in Miss America history, there will be a woman directing the show. Last year the committee for Miss America decided to rebrand the show’s image and focus more on substance than sex appeal. The committee took away the swimsuit and gown contest and ratings decreased to 4.3 million. However this year the committee changed the entire format of the venue, as well as the date. Usually, the Pageant is held in Atlantic City, NJ in the first week of September, but this year it has changed. The pageant will be held on December 19 at Mohegan Sun Connecticut.
Being the first woman director of Miss America in 15 years, Sandra Restrepo is very excited about the opportunity. “I am excited to be part of this year’s telecast and look forward to telling the stories of these diverse and independent young women,” said Restrepo.
Restrepo has had a lot of experience directing. She has directed a multitude of live shows including the first live televised musical performance from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway sensation “Hamilton“, Radio Disney Music Awards and MTV’s live music series “Wonderland.” Restrepo served as the show director on over 250 episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Her many credits also include “Brene Brown: The Call to Courage”, “Black Girls Rock!”, “Grammy Red Carpet Live!”, and “2 Dope Queens.”
“This is a brand new show,” said Miss America President and CEO Regina Hopper. “The new format is interactive, challenging and exciting and is meant to allow the judges, and the audience, to see who these incredibly smart and talented young women are. Miss America 2.0 is about a young woman competing for a job. Each phase of the competition is meant to highlight an important role of that job which is focused on advancing her chosen social impact initiative each and every day. When the winner is selected you will know her, why she won, and what she will do with her job this next year.”
