Smithsonian Channel

No, it wasn’t the Primetime awards show- but it sure felt like it to us at the Smithsonian Channel when we won our first Emmy award in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement In A Craft: Cinematography‑ Nature Documentaries/Dramatic Recreations for Nature Tech: The Magic of Motion, at the 29th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony in New York City.

Chris with our first (but not our last) emmy

When he returned to DC I got all the juicy details from Chris Hoelzl, Smithsonian Channel vice president of programming research and development, (pictured below accepting the award) on what it was like to be at the awards show.

AM: So tell me Chris, was the competition tough? Did you even think the channel would have a shot at winning?

CH: Well to say we weren’t prepared is an understatement. The competition was really tough, with the BBC’s unit that did the show Planet Earth producing this year’s nominee Galapagos for National Geographic, and other channels like Animal Planet with multiple awards for wildlife photography under their belts.

AM: What were the shows Nature Tech went up against for this award?

CH: Our show shared the category with

• PBS: Silence of the Bees- Director of Photography Peter Schnall
• PBS: Sharkland- Cinematographers Simon King, Charles Maxwell
• National Geographic: Galapagos- Cinematographers Barrie Britton, Richard Burton, Peter Scoones, Paul Stewart, Richard Wollocombe
• Animal Planet: Buddha, Bees & The Giant Hornet Queen- Cinematographers Kenji Hashizoe, Alastair MacEwen

AM: And out of all of those extremely talented pieces, Smithsonian Channel took home the statue, making it the youngest channel to ever receive such an honor.

CH: That’s what I’ve heard!

AM: Being a tv-viewer obsessed with award shows, tell me… what was it like being there?

CH: Well I was there with two remarkable individuals, Walter Koehler of the Natural Sciences Unit of the Austrian Broadcasting Company and Alfred Vendl, of the University of Applied Arts- both of whom have PH.D’s so it was a highly- intellectual crowd.

AM: Anyone receive special awards?

CH: Tom Brokaw presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to three individuals- PBS documentarian Ken Burns, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer, and former NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and Host of “Meet the Press” the late Tim Russert- whose wife and son accepted the award on his behalf.

AM: Were you nervous when it was time for your category?

CH: Ours was right at the beginning so we didn’t have to wait long. When we were named the winners, it was all a blur and took us what seemed a geologic age to get to the stage since we were sitting in the back. By pre-agreement Walter was to accept the award and say a speech and Alfred and I would go up for moral support. But somehow, they took longer than me to get to the stage, and perhaps they were nervous about speaking English in front of that many people, so I ended up saying a few words. I forget what they were exactly- and the next thing you know we were whisked off stage! Lots of congratulations and pictures all around.

AM: Did you attend any after parties to celebrate?

CH: Well we took the statue all around NYC and toasted our unexpected success. It was a really fun evening for all of us.

Thanks Chris for the inside scoop and I wish everyone the best of luck for another win next year!

For a sneak peak at Smithsonian Channel’s award winning show, Nature Tech, check out the videos below!

Special thanks to the Media Center at www.emmyonline.org for contributing images to this post.