Emmy Award – Behind The Scenes

As members of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), Rich Poggioli, Lorraine Gregory Communications (LGC) Studios’ Director of Video Services, and I were invited to judge the 2023 Emmy Awards, providing a behind-the-scenes view of the selection process.

Rich is a former Emmy winner and member of the prestigious Directors Peer Group, so he had prior experience with the association. Like most people, I associated the awarding of the prestigious golden trophy with red carpet interviews, exquisite clothes, host monologues, suspense, elation, and acceptance speeches, not giving much thought to how the nominees got there.

Deciding who receives the nod to even be considered for the iconic statuette is a long process. Members of NATAS are asked to judge entries for different regions and categories.  It is an obligation.  And it is a way of giving back to the film and television industry.

The preliminary process, the first round, is vetting entries that are hopeful to make it to the nomination list. Each region and category can have as many as 30 video entries that members volunteer to judge.  Depending on the category, the films can run up to 30 minutes.  Each is scrutinized on a scale of “Not Worthy,” “Worthy,” “Nominate.”

It is a very difficult judging because the submissions are all professional.  I had the opportunity to be on a panel for the “Overall Excellence” category in the Central, Northwest, and New England regions, and the difference in the quality of the filmmaking was miniscule.  I had to watch several more than once to rate them as a 10.

The experience of seeing what NATAS members were producing was edifying, challenging, and worthwhile.   From every facet—creativity, storytelling, production, camera usage, and editing—it was humbling, especially when I held up our own award-winning productions against what was being done across the industry.

As the nominations for “Best of” are beginning to be announced,  I am anxious to see if any of my “Nominate” choices made it to the final round. The productions that prevail and are awarded the coveted Emmy statuette are truly deserving of recognition.

At the time of this column the annual Emmy Awards show has been put on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA writers and actors strike. Unauthorized source claims the show will happen when the strike is resolved.