Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Catch-22: An Emmy

So I've been nominated for an Emmy award. Not the real Emmy's, mind you. These Emmys. It's for a 30-minute special I wrote and produced last year on a local restaurateur named Cameron Mitchell. I poured a lot of time and effort into it -- especially in the pre-production stage where I laid out my plans for the piece. Of course each idea I had was shot down. They weren't all fantastic ideas, but they were ideas that made the piece something more than the "newsy" type piece I knew my (now former) bosses wanted from it. I didn't want that. I wanted a documentary feel. I didn't get that and they got what they wanted. I didn't want it submitted. They did. I don't want the Emmy. They do.

So who should I thank if I win? God? My wife? Cameron Mitchell? David Ortiz? My fifth grade teacher who always believed in me?I'm not up against anybody so chances are pretty good I'll bring home the hardware. And I must come up with something very cliche to say. The last video production award I won was in 6th grade. It was on a new school being built for junior high students. We entitled it "A Dream Come True". The award we won, I gave the speech for, thanking everyone, including my teachers for "making this a dream come true." I'll need a speech to top that.

Truth be told I'm not thrilled about this thing. While it will benefit me professionally, and it will, it's not the piece I would have liked to be recognized for. It wasn't something I would watch so how should I expect someome else to watch it? My wife hasn't even seen it and I show her everything I do. I didn't even want it submitted (mostly because of the $75 admission fee. It was paid for "anonymously"). But professionally, an Emmy goes a long, long way.

And therein lies the rub.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paid anonymously ? Hmmm

J Dog said...

How about thanking the photgraphers that shot the piece and never got a steak dinner out of it... stupid Cameron Mitchell! I wanted a steak damn it!

sara* said...

congrats.

and yes, thank big papi.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it is simply an award you only need to say thank you for and do it with humility...despite the push of others to get it on the docket for an Emmy. Some times you just have to do what the boss says using your skills and talents. There always is a bigger picture that is made up of tiny pixels and without one there is not as much clarity.

jdjones said...

I think you should just thank me. I don't get nearly enough credit for these things that appear that I had nothing to do with. Also, if you don't win, and I know you're saying that won't happen, and supposedly that's what you actually want anyway, but I'm just warning you now, I will laugh. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

You should thank your mother.