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.