Category Archives: Off Camera

Countdown to Emmy® Awards Gala 2023

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Countdown to Emmy® Awards Gala 2023

By Brooks Jarosz
President 

It’s the most exciting time of the year! The nominations are out and soon the glasses of sparkling wine and statuettes will be handed out at the 52nd Annual Northern California Area Emmy® Awards.

Tables and seats are filling up fast so get your tickets before it’s too late. The black-tie event is being held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square on Saturday, June 3. Individual tickets are $200 for non-members and $180 for NATAS members, with rooms at the Hilton available at a special rate of $189. A cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by a four-course dinner and awards ceremony starting at 7 p.m.

This year we’re thrilled to welcome San Francisco Bay Area comedian Gina Stahl-Haven as our mistress of ceremonies. She has been performing in the comedy and improv world for over 15 years and is the 2nd Place Winner of the 2019 San Francisco International Comedy Competition. You may have caught Gina on season 17 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent where she received four yesses from the celebrity judges. Stahl-Haven is a mother, professor and storyteller who’s bound to make it a fun evening!

To enhance your gala experience, we’ve added a 360 photo booth near the Red Carpet so everyone can create memorable moments to share. There’s also a large, 8-foot tall Emmy statue created by Sacramento artist Odin Abbott especially for this year’s gala. Additionally, helping to celebrate the big night is complimentary sparkling wine from Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma. And while enjoying dinner, red and white wines are provided from Wente Vineyards in Livermore. 

Recognition is also given to Joseph Cotchett, founding partner of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP for a generous donation to assist in funding our gala. A big thank you to all of our sponsors and those who purchased program ads to help make the event possible!

Be sure to tag us throughout the night @Emmysftv, or use #EmmySF, for a chance to be featured on our social media! 

Finally, congratulations to all our Emmy Nominees and I look forward to seeing you in person on Saturday, June 3.

Sincerely,

Brooks

Emmy – Always Larger than Life – And at the 2023 Gala – She’s Giant!

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Emmy® – Always Larger than Life - And at the 2023 Gala – She’s Giant!

By Joyce Mitchell
Governor 

 

She’s 8-feet tall and for many reasons, larger than life. This year, June 3rd at the San Francisco Hilton, on full display – she truly will be larger than life! In fact, upon entering the 2023 Gala, TV professionals will be greeted by a finely crafted, giant display of the Emmy® statue.

That means everyone will get a photo-op with Emmy. Perhaps not holding her – but certainly – standing right next to her.  

The Emmy art piece weighs about 100 pounds. If she were a person, she’d be around 5- feet-two-inches tall.

The creation is by Sacramento Artist Odin Abbott. Building it has been challenging, to say the least. But given that Abbott is a 4-time Emmy Award recipient, he has a real-life model for the project. He said that makes the work an extra special honor for him.

“The Emmy Award is the highest level of acknowledgement of excellence in my field,” said Abbott, “and it’s very nice to have an actual example that I can reference as I build the statue. It’s truly an honor.”

In addition to being an experienced television editor, Abbott, for years, has run Odin Makes, a company that crafts everything that’s a little bit unusual. Robots, Godzilla costumes and Sci-Fi stuff galore.

Now, this talented artist is using his skill-set to create the larger-than-life Emmy. “The biggest challenge is the final finish,” said Abbott. “Since she’s made primarily out of foam core board, making her look like a trophy is a most interesting process. She must shine. She must be stable. So, he’s using a computer aided cutting tool, digitally making the statue into slices that can be easily assembled for this year and reassembled in years to come.”

By the way, the name Emmy comes from Immy, a nickname for a camera tube used in television. The Emmy Award statuette consists of a winged woman, representing art, holding an electron, representing science. The National Academy was formed in 1946 and the first Emmy statues were presented in 1949. All – to recognize excellence in TV.

Welcome to a piece of history.

And a giant, winged, golden statue of Emmy that awaits you. Congratulations nominees! We look forward to celebrating with you.

Regional Roundup May – Smaller Markets

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP May - Smaller Markets

Cassady Velasco Promoted to News Director of KSBW Action News 8.

Cassady Velasco, the assistant news director at KSBW-TV, Hearst Television’s station serving the Monterey-Salinas TV market on California’s Central Coast, has been named news director. Velasco spent the majority of her career within Hearst Television at KSBW-TV.

“Cassady is the ideal successor to build upon the very solid foundation of our company,” said Laura Williamson, president and general manager at KSBW-TV. “She is an Emmy Award winning executive with nearly twenty years of broadcast news experience. Her exceptional work within KSBW, her local knowledge, and the expertise she has exhibited throughout her career position her well for this leadership position on our Central Coast.”

Velasco began her television journalism career as the 5 p.m. news producer at KSBW in 1999. After leaving to work as the Executive Administrative Assistant for former KSBW Action News 8 Anchor Dina Ruiz, she returned to KSBW in 2008 as the 6 p.m. news producer, a position she held for nine years. During that time, she earned an Emmy Award for breaking news coverage of the Soberanes Wildfire in Big Sur. In 2017 Velasco was promoted to Managing Editor and in 2021 to Assistant News Director.

“I have been very fortunate to have grown my career at KSBW and within Hearst Television,” said Velasco. “I look forward to continuing to work with our exceptional news team and building on KSBW’s great legacy of service to our Central Coast.”

Velasco will make the transition to News Director in June.

SOURCE >>> https://www.ksbw.com/article/cassady-velasco-named-news-director-of-ksbw-action-news-8-the-1-rated-news-and-information-source-on-californias-central-coast/43866684.

Regional Roundup May – Hawaii

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP May - Hawaii

KHON Welcomes Jeffrey Mikulina

KHON officially welcomes former Blue Planet Executive Director Jeffrey Mikulina into the programming department, where he will continue to co-host the “Empowered” series of programs with  Kelly Simek. After obtaining a Masters Degree from the University of Illinois, Mikulina lobbied environmental issues as the Director of the Sierra Club, Hawai`i Chapter, and wrote for the Boston Globe, Hana Hou! Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, and other publications. As Vice Chair of the Honolulu Planning Commission and the 2005 – 2006 Honolulu Charter Commission, he authored charter amendments that require islandwide curbside recycling. Of his13 years with Blue planet, Mikulina says ” We’ve helped change the conversation about climate and passed game-changing legislation. Although we were labeled ‘magical thinkers’ by some, we took what was once impossible and hastened the day that it is inevitable.”

Reporter, Jeremy Lee, Is On The Move

KITV reporter Jeremy Lee will be moving to Hawaii Island to become the station’s Big Island correspondent.

Jeremy began his broadcast career at the ABC affiliate in Southern West Virginia and has since worked in the New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco markets. He is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

High Honors: The Board of Governors’ Has Spoken

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High honors: The Board of Governors’ Has Spoken

By Brooks Jarosz
President NATAS SF/NorCal

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we announce honors that will be bestowed upon three members of the Board of Governors of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), San Francisco/Northern California Chapter.

With a career extending nearly five decades, Pamela Young of KHON 2 was voted to receive the Academy’s highest honor – The Governors’ Award.

Young’s longstanding dedication and devotion to the television industry has spanned several stations including KPIX 5, KQED 9, KITV 4, and KHON 2. She has served as reporter, anchor and host, but also has been active in her community in Honolulu and the Islands. Young has received 12 Regional Emmy® Awards, The Governors’ Service Medallion and Citation, and is part of the Silver Circle. Her accomplishments speak to her hard work and ongoing commitment to excellence.

The Board also wishes to recognize two members for their accomplishments and unwavering contributions with The Governors’ Service Medallion.

Susan Bradley has consistently photographed and assisted in Chapter events for seven years. She has also served on several committees, furthering our goals and membership benefits.

Devin Fehely of KPIX 5 has served on and contributed to the Awards Committee for the last six years. He has also helped lead discussions surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.

Despite both Bradly and Fehely’s relatively short time on the Board, their outstanding efforts bear being recognized.

Presentations for these three deserving professionals will take place at the 52nd Annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards on Saturday, June 3, 2023. The gala will again be held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the awards presentation and a four-course dinner.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, a big CONGRATULATIONS to the honorees. Well deserved!

Living on the Spectrum and With the Spectrum

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Living on the Spectrum and With the Spectrum
April is Autism Awareness Month

By Kris Sanchez
Governor

One in 36 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, according to 2020 data, the most recent the CDC has available. But in many of our families, and newsrooms, it’s not about statistics, it’s about our kids.

I started really learning about Autism when my nephew Mateo was diagnosed around age three. I watched my sister, an educator, jump in with both feet to advocate for him and make sure he had the therapies and treatments he would need to live a happy, healthy, and successful life on the spectrum and what that would mean for him. While my sister did that, she also helped the rest of the family understand how we could support them both. That’s meant being more patient, knowing when to ask questions instead of give advice, and to make connections the way Mateo wants and needs, not the way we want and need. Mateo is now a freshman in high, an honor roll student, and is in the marching and concert bands. He always told our family that he considers Autism his super power, because it makes him accepting of all people, and allows him to see the world differently from the rest of us. It’s been a gift for our entire family to see the world through his eyes. It’s a more curious, colorful, and funny place.

I’ve also experienced different parts of the Autism Spectrum through my friend Kari Hall, who is the ‘Today in the Bay’ meteorologist at NBC Bay Area. She and her husband have two beautiful children and both of them are on the spectrum. Her 11-year-old son KJ is now in 5th grade. He receives therapy at school but spends his day in a traditional classroom. He is kind and sweet and we suspect he’ll build the cars or roads we’ll all use someday.

Kari’s daughter Bella is “six going on 16” in Kari’s words. In Kari’s pictures, you can definitely see a mischievous sparkle in Bella’s eyes when she flashes her gorgeous smile. Although Kari had the experience of KJ’s diagnosis, Bella’s life on the spectrum is a very different one. Bella is non-verbal and suffers from severe food aversions. In January of 2022, Bella just stopped eating altogether. Unbeknownst to our morning show family, between workdays, Kari was rushing back and forth to the hospital, meeting with specialists and eventually, learning how to maintain Bella’s feeding tube. Kari handled it with such enormous grace that we were shocked to hear the load she was carrying alone.

“I was really struggling with whether or not to share what was happening in my personal life, I didn’t want to burden people. But when I did, I realized how many people were willing to help with advice and encouragement and prayer,” Kari shared with our team and our NBC Bay Area viewers. That’s her advice, “share with people what you’re going through.” You can see our discussion here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrMwNzaJhDk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

After more than a year of Applied Behavior Analysis – ABA therapy – Bella’s learning to communicate, she’s learning self-care skills and about safety, and she’s opening up to eating. She still uses a feeding tube to keep hydrated, but is back at school. Kari is now a powerful advocate for her family and others and is a frequent emcee for the Silicon Valley Autism Speaks Walk.

Here’s a recent interview Kari did with a nurse and parenting coach about what families can and should do after diagnosis. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/health/autism-awareness-what-families-can-do-after-diagnosis/3203585/?fbclid=IwAR098Ksll6nb5ncDEe-s9I_qUqV8pxw-cxWSSpuoOTJN30keiNnwACGDl3k

Autism is also part of the family of NATAS Governor and Vice-President of Small Markets, Nazy Javid, whose “bonus sons,” are both adults on the spectrum. Nazy echoes what a lot of us know first-hand. “They teach us not to sweat the small stuff, and they simplify our outlook on life, for there is so much joy in the little things,” Nazy wrote in a post honoring Parker and Sean on April 18th, Adult Autism Awareness Day. You can see it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrMwNzaJhDk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

If you have an ASD diagnosis in your family, you want to be better informed the next time you cover an Autism story, or you’d like to lend support you can find more information in the links below.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/

www.autismsociety.org

Longtime Bay Area News Producer Leaves TV After 41 Years

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Longtime Bay Area News Producer Leaves TV After 41 Years

By Kevin Wing
Chapter Vice President, San Francisco

A longtime Bay Area news producer has wrapped up a 41-year career in television news, most of it spent in the Bay Area.

Randall Yip announced in early April that his illustrious Bay Area TV news career was coming to an end and he was leaving KGO-TV ABC7 in San Francisco after 20 years as a senior producer there. 

Yip joined the station in 2003. He is no stranger to Bay Area television. Besides his work at KGO-TV, where he built upon and protected the station’s brand with its most popular reporter, 7 On Your Side’s consumer reporter, Michael Finney, as a champion for the consumer, Yip also interacted with station followers on social media and generated and cultivated news contacts to win exclusive leads. 

He is also the founder and executive editor of AsAmNews, named in 2019 as the No. 1 Asian American news site by Cision Media. In his role there, Yip leads a staff of more than 20 journalists and interns for the all-volunteer, daily news website. Though he has left TV news, Yip will now focus even more on his non-profit news site. 

“It’s been a wonderful ride in television,” Yip said. “I’ve had the opportunity to help consumers right a wrong as well as educate them about their rights. I’ve been blessed to launch several newscasts with teams of professionals that became lifelong friends and just as importantly, I’ve mentored the next generation.”

Prior to joining KGO-TV, Yip was morning news executive producer, from 2001 to 2003, at KNTV in San Jose, the now-former ABC affiliate that has been an NBC-owned station, branded today as NBC Bay Area, since 2002. From 1996 to 2001, Yip was executive producer of Good Day Oregon at KPTV in Portland. He began his television career in 1982. From 1983 to 1985, he was with KMST (now KION) in Monterey. 

Student Production Award Recipients Announced

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Student Production Award Recipients Announced

The Board of Governors of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022-2023 Regional Student Television Production Awards for Excellence.

Entries were submitted by high schools with media programs in the chapter’s region – Visalia to the Oregon border including Reno, Nevada and Hawaii – for work done during the 2022-2023 school year. The “Award for Excellence,” an engraved glass pillar, is presented to the school with each student recipient receiving a certificate.


The “Award for Merit” is presented to each student in the form of a certificate. A total of 178 entries were received from 19 high schools. Eleven Pillars for Excellence and 29 Certificates for Merit are being awarded.

“Our regional student production award-winners represent future broadcast journalists, filmmakers and entertainers, and our goal is to recognize their efforts and encourage their pursuit of excellence,” said chapter Education Chair Toby Momtaz. “Once again, we express our gratitude for the third year in a row, as a generous couple has made a substantial donation to cover all the expenses of the contest.”

Six high schools will receive Pillars of Excellence, Buchanan High School, Clovis; Franklin High School, Elk Grove; Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay; Gunn High School, Palo Alto; Moanalua High School, Honolulu, HI; and Wai’anae High School Searider Productions, Wai’anae, HI.

Certificates of Merit also going to 11 high schools: Abraham Lincoln High School, San Jose; Buchanan High School, Clovis; El Diamante High School, Visalia; Franklin High School, Elk Grove; Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay; Moanalua High School, Honolulu, HI; Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto; Redwood High School, Visalia; Tamalpais High School, Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media (AIM), Mill Valley; Wai’anae High School Searider Productions, Wai’anae, HI; and Whitney High School WCTV19, Rocklin. The “Award of Excellence” Pillar recipients will move forward to a national competition between all 19 chapters of NATAS. National recipients will be announced in the Fall of 2023.

View and download the full release here. 

Not a Mic Drop: Fresno Weather Anchor Finally Drops Clicker After 7 Years

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Clicker Drop! Fresno Weather Anchor's faux pas caught on video

By Jim Jakobs
Governor

After 7 years of forecasting weather, Fresno Weather Anchor Madeline Evans didn’t see this one coming. 

The clicker used to advance graphics is usually done by a slight of hand and out of sight for most viewers. 

But, it was front and center when Evans accidentally dropped it in the weather center. See the clip here. 

April: Stress Awareness Month

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April: Stress Awareness Month

By Jim Jakobs
Governor

Every April, healthcare professionals from across the country join forces to increase public awareness about not only the causes, but also the treatments for the growing stress epidemic in our country.

Long-term stress can lead to a wide range of illnesses—from headaches to stomach disorders to depression—and can even increase the risk of serious conditions like stroke and heart disease.

The Mental Health American (MHA) provides some tips on how to reduce your stress by utilizing a Stress Screener. Also, take some time to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and familiarize yourself with strategies for stress management.