EMMYs
Thanks to my great partners at The Concept Farm for making my unexpected and wonderful relationship with the Emmy Awards of New York City possible. The Farmers are the best in the business at developing concepts for television and programs for branded content.
In 2004 the Farmers came up with a creative concept and format for an innovative weekly magazine show called Cool In Your Code. The show celebrates the neighborhoods and people that make NYC the best City in the world. We entered into a first of its kind agreement with Mayor Bloomberg’s Office to produce and air the show on NYCTV, the City’s revitalized municipal broadcast network.
We invested our own funds and resources to produce the show and had to deliver the same level of quality as the big networks and Hollywood producers on a fraction of the budget. Will Morrisson (he’s the creative genius behind the show) and I took on the role of Executive Producers and I hosted some segments. In the past five years the show has been nominated for 17 Emmy Awards, won five and I won three consecutive Emmys for on camera work as a host. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that possible.
Here’s a video tour of some of the great things that have happened to us at the New York Emmy Awards over the past few years.
2005/2006: Best Host- Back On The Block
This was our first year at the Emmy Awards. Cool In Your Code took home an Emmy for best graphics and I was blessed with an Entertainment Program Emmy for my on camera performance in Back On The Block. Some of my interviews were Jerry Stiller, Moby, Masta Killa, Sonia Manzano and Didi Conn. Here’s a video of my accepting the award. What a thrill!
2006/2007: Best Host/Arts & Culture – Code Read
This was a particularly satisfying win for us. Authors and great literature have always been part of the soul of NYC and its neighborhoods. We created a new segment called Code Read to celebrate this all too ofetn overlooked aspect of New York City. It won the Emmy for best Arts & Culture segment against some very tough competition. Some of the authors I had the honor of interviewing are Angie Cruz, SJ Rozan and Mark Kurlansky.
2007/2008: Best Host Interview – Back On The Block – Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach is a legend. I came very well prepared expecting a short interview given his age. We clicked, he stayed at Sardi’s four hours and mesmerized us all. As I asked him questions he kept on saying “How did you know that?”. I am forever touched by that experience and am indebted to Eli Wallach for making this Emmy possible. Eli opened took us on a journey through his life…much more than we could capture in one segment. I wrote a BlogCritics article that chronicles more of the interview and I think you will enjoy reading it.
2007/2008: Featured Presenter
This was a particularly exciting year for me at the Emmy Awards. In addition to winning an Emmy I was also invited to be one of the featured presenters. It was great to stand up there in front of a packed house and have the honor of presenting Emmy Awards to the very talented winners. It was a thrill for me to witness firsthand their joy, pride and excitement. I’ll never forget it. And, I’m happy to report that I didn’t miss a name or flub any of my lines. Whew!
Emmy Photo Gallery:
Part of the fun of the Emmy Awards is sharing the excitement and rewards with the team that helped make it all possible. Here’s a sampling of some photos we collected on Flickr.
