Did you enter Film School or your first job in Film and Television thinking of all the awards you could win? Maybe some of you have prepared acceptance speeches and already knew your goals in the industry. As for myself, it took several tries to figure out what I wanted to do. Once I knew it was possible to do something that I loved and how to do it for a living, the old cliché rang true:
“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”
Despite the long hours and days, I still feel motivated and fulfilled to continue doing what I do. You may not enter into this career knowing exactly what you want, but you’ll eventually find that department or position that just fits. As hard as the work is, I’m also here to tell you that the glitz, glamour, and being recognized for your work is also very much in reach and why not GO FOR GOLD!!!
With the 72ND Primetime Emmy Awards just around the corner, let’s highlight the process and the numerous events held throughout the year honoring different aspects of television excellence. From the most popular being aired on September 20th, there are also the Daytime Emmy Awards, Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards, Regional Emmy Awards, Sports Emmys, News & Documentary Emmys, International Emmys, and awards recognizing college student produced work. Other events such as the Creative Arts Emmys are held a few days before the Primetime Emmys awarding Art Directors, Costume Designers, Cinematographers, Casting Directors, and Sound Designers.
Rules and eligibility vary slightly with each category and depending on the year, you may see the awards aired on ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC. Each network airs the ceremony every 4 years. ABC has the honor this year!
If you’re setting your sights on a Primetime Emmy Award, here are the eligibility terms:
- A show must originally air on American Television between June 1 and May 31 of any given year
- To be considered a national primetime show, the program must air between 6:00PM and 2:00AM
- Must be aired to at least 50% of the country
To help you get there, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences offers programs, seminars, and scholarships to high school and college students. With many scholarship options to help individuals coming from Hispanic or Latino descent, to someone who’s made a positive impact on their community, or to an individual looking for a specific genre like television journalism or sports television. Another opportunity for students to showcase their talents are the College Television Awards. Being a part of the prestigious Emmy events and simulating the awards process, students get the chance to win in categories ranging from comedy to sports. Cash prizes as high as $10,000 are also awarded to help further your education or produce more content.
For more inspiring insight from someone with 7 Emmys under his belt we will be featuring Television Producer & Sports Documentarian, Ira Opper, in our interview series next month. While living in Santa Barbara and working for the 10th largest cable system in the country at the time, he was the first to introduce and produce events like NCAA volleyball, beach volleyball, surfing, and skateboarding for ESPN. Some of his early work for the then fledgling network earned him his first Emmy and he was awarded a contract to do the first prime time series on surfing called Surfer Magazine. Without giving too much away, that’s just the start of his incredible ongoing career.
Be bold, persevere, continue to dream. Not only do the Emmys await your work, but so do the Golden Globes, The Academy Awards, BAFTA, SAG…the list goes on!
