2020 Los Angeles Area Emmys® Led by Local Public Media Television Stations KCET and PBS SoCal with 11 Wins in Total
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JP Shields
jpshields@PMGSoCal.org
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For Fourth Year Running, KCET Led All Other Southern California Broadcasters
With Eight Emmy Awards
BROKEN BREAD Host/Executive Producer Roy Choi presents the Los Angeles Area Emmy award for Live Coverage of an Unscheduled News Event at the 2020 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards which streamed on Emmys.com on Saturday, July 18, 2020. (The Television Academy via Invision/AP)
Burbank, Calif. – July 20, 2020 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS organizations for new PBS program premieres as well as acclaimed original content, announced today they received a combined total of 11 wins from the 2020 Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards presented on Saturday, July 18 by the Television Academy and its Los Angeles Area Peer Group. The total count more than doubled any other local station (or duopoly). PBS SoCal and KCET were honored in categories that included L.A. Local Color, Education/Information and Entertainment. Two of the categories – Arts Programming and Crime/Social Issues Programming – were filled solely with nominees from KCET and PBS SoCal. Going into the ceremony, the two LA-based PBS stations led all others in the region with 26 nominations received this year.
KCET garnered the most awards of any other LA broadcast station with eight wins including two for its new food justice series BROKEN BREAD (a co-production with Tastemade, hosted by Roy Choi), two for historical series LOST LA (produced in conjunction with the USC Libraries), and individual wins for SOCAL CONNECTED, BLUE SKY METROPOLIS, ARTBOUND as well as one win by Tom Tanquary and Diana Jenkins for their HAND DRAWN LIFE, which KCET acquired for broadcast. PBS SoCal took home three Emmys for CYBERWORK AND THE AMERICAN DREAM, FREEDOM WRITERS: STORIES FROM THE HEART and THE 60th ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION.
“This recognition from the Television Academy is a testament to the quality of our original content and we are honored that our efforts continue to be recognized each year,” said Andrew Russell, President and CEO of PBS SoCal and KCET. “These stories illuminate new perspectives and shine a light on the diversity of our region, both of which are at the core of our mission.”
“These productions could not have been possible without the hard work, perseverance and belief that what we are doing matters,” said Juan Devis, Chief Creative Officer of PBS SoCal and KCET. “I am honored to work with such talented partners and a creative production staff who continue to impress me with their incredible efforts in telling our stories.”
Portions of the 2020 Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards were pre-taped without audience at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the virtual awards program was streamed on Emmys.com.
The 2020 Los Angeles Area Emmy® Award wins for KCET and PBS SoCal are listed below by category:
L.A. LOCAL COLOR
BROKEN BREAD – “Transformation” (KCET)
Juan Devis, Executive Producer
Roy Choi, Executive Producer, Host
Emily Mraz, Producer
Matthew Crotty, Producer
Elizabeth Collins, Producer
Natasha Phan, Producer
Aaron Warzynski, Editor
Jacqueline Reyno, Associate Producer
James Mann, Director, Director of Photography JT Smith, Editor
EDUCATION / INFORMATION
- CYBERWORK AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (PBS SoCal)
Michelle Merker, Executive Producer
James Shelley, Director, Producer
Elizabeth Cobbs, Producer, Writer
Jon Michaels, Executive Producer
Kevin King, Editor
Rich Underwood, Camera
CRIME/SOCIAL ISSUES
- FREEDOM WRITERS: STORIES FROM THE HEART (PBS SoCal)
Don Hahn, Director, Executive Producer
Lori Korngiebel, Producer
Stephen Yao, Editor
ARTS
- ARTBOUND – “Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience” (KCET)
Juan Devis, Executive ProducerMatthew Crotty, Producer
Jacqueline Reyno, Producer
Akira Boch, Director, Director of Photography, Producer
Tadashi Nakamura, Co-Producer
Amanda Marie Pinedo, Associate Producer
CULTURE/HISTORY
- LOST LA – “Three Views of Manzanar” (KCET)
Matt Bass, Director, Director of Photography
Juan Devis, Executive Producer
Matthew Crotty, Executive Producer
Nathan Masters, Executive Producer, Host
Hugh McHarg, Co-Executive Producer
Catherine Quinlan, Co-Executive Producer
Angela Boisvert, Producer
Bill Dotson, Co-Producer
Sasheen Artis, Coordinating Producer
Daniel Leonard, Editor
Kathryn Noonan, Associate Producer
Kathy Kasaba, Supervising Producer
ENTERTAINMENT
- SOCAL CONNECTED – “Jazz City” (KCET)
Eric Fernandez, Producer
Michael Bloecher, Editor
Michael Ray, Associate Producer
LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS - PROGRAMMING
- THE 60th ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION (PBS SoCal)
Kenneth Shapiro, Director, Executive Producer
Nick Schwartz-Hall, Executive Producer
Ming Ng, Executive Producer
Michelle Merker, Producer
Cody Kopp, Producer
Teresa Taylor, Co-Producer
Jason Kessler, Writer
Suzanna Guzmán, Co-Host
Marisa Ramirez, Co-Host
FEATURE SEGMENT
- BLUE SKY METROPOLIS – “Women Lead the Future of Aerospace” (KCET)
Peter Jones, Producer, Writer
Brian Tessier, Producer
Juan Devis, Executive Producer
Michael Riley, Executive Producer
Matthew Crotty, Producer
Bryan Darling, Editor
Tanayi Seabrook, Associate Producer
Peter Westwick, Producer
William Deverell, Producer
Dan Lewis, Producer
INFORMATION SEGMENT
- LOST LA – “Discovering the Universe” (KCET)
Matt Bass, Director of PhotographyJuan Devis, Executive Producer
Matthew Crotty, Executive Producer
Nathan Masters, Executive Producer, Host
Hugh McHarg, Executive Producer
Catherine Quinlan, Executive Producer
Angela Boisvert, Producer
Bill Dotson, Producer
Sasheen Artis, Segment Producer
Kathy Kasaba, Segment Producer
Daniel Leonard, Editor
Edgar Sardarian, Editor
Kathryn Noonan, Associate Producer
SHORT PROMO – NEWS/TOPICAL
- BROKEN BREAD (KCET)
Juan Devis, Executive ProducerJames Mann, Director, Director of Photography
INDEPENDENT PROGRAMMING
- HAND DRAWN LIFE (KCET)
Tom Tanquary, Director
Diana Jenkins, Editor
KCBS/KCAL anchor Pat Harvey hosted this year’s ceremony for the Television Academy. Kobe Bryant was named the posthumous recipient of the 2020 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award. Presenters for this year’s online show included BROKEN BREAD Executive Producer/Host Roy Choi, as well as other notable names that included Fritz Coleman (KNBC), Christine Devine (KTTV), Dallas Raines (KABC), Gabriela Teissier (Univision) and Colleen Williams (KNBC).
ABOUT PBS SOCAL AND KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California, which was formed by the merger of PBS SoCal and KCETLink Media Group. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain – over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs including DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. Programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
KCET is on-air, online and in the community, and plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 55-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps.
