Pasadena Media’s award-winning local TV talk show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman” continues this Friday at 5 p.m., featuring guest Samuel Hale, President, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Wilson Institute and Observatory.
Hale is the grandson of George Ellery Hale, the legendary astrophysicist who founded the observatory in 1904, which revolutionized humankind’s understanding of the cosmos. The telescopes there were used by Harlow Shapley to discover that Earth is not in the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and by Edwin Hubble to discover that there are more than just one galaxy and that the universe is expanding and at an ever-increasing rate. George Hale also helped transform Caltech into a world-class science and engineering university, worked with Henry Huntington to create the Huntington Library, and contributed to the creation of Pasadena’s Civic Center.
Sam Hale was born in Pasadena in 1942 and worked in investment management. He was a board member and later president of the Pasadena Humane Society. He is currently President, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Wilson Institute and Observatory.
“‘Pasadena Monthly’ is must-watch television each month for everyone who cares about this city,” Falardeau said.
In 2024 and 2026, “Pasadena Monthly” won 1st place awards in the Talk Show category at the Alliance for Community Media West’s WAVE (Western Access Video Excellence) Awards. Chapman also won a 3rd place award in the Talk/Public Affairs category of the LA Press Club’s 66th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards for hosting “Pasadena Monthly.” He has won more than a dozen LA Press Club journalism awards, including three 1st place awards. His other TV show, “Well Read with Justin Chapman,” won a 1st place Hometown Media Award from the Alliance for Community Media last year and was a finalist again in this year’s WAVE Awards.
This month, Chapman was nominated as a finalist in the Anchor/Host in TV/Film Broadcast category of the LA Press Club’s 68th annual Southern California Journalism Awards. The ceremony will be held next month.
Guests on “Pasadena Monthly” (and its previous iteration, “NewsRap Local”) have included Congress member Judy Chu; Congress member Adam Schiff; Assembly member Chris Holden; Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo; Pasadena city manager Miguel Márquez; LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; JPL director Dr. Laurie Leshin; former Congress member Katie Hill; and many others.
Chapman was the youngest elected official in LA County when he served on the Altadena Town Council at age 19. He has served on a number of local boards and wrote hundreds of articles for dozens of print and digital publications, including KPCC/LAist, Alta Journal, Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Irish Post, Berkeley Political Review, Pasadena Weekly, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Now and many others. He is the author of two published books. He was a professional child actor who starred in dozens of movies, TV shows, commercials and plays. He previously served as Communications Officer for USC Annenberg’s Pacific Council on International Policy think tank and currently serves as the District 6 Council Liaison/Field Representative to Pasadena Councilmember Steve Madison.
Learn more at justindouglaschapman.com and pasadenamedia.org.