Find Posts By Topic

Seattle Channel honored at Northwest Emmy Awards

An episode of Seattle Channel's magazine show CityStream titled Healthcare Heroes, tells stories from the front lines in the early days of the fight against COVID-19. The episode won an Emmy in the "Health/Medical - Long Form Content" category. The show includes a segment filmed inside a Swedish Hospital ICU, a profile of the local "make a joyful noise" nightly tribute to healthcare workers, and the story of an artist who used her 3D printing skills and equipment to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for caregivers when the world was seeing a shortage of this life-saving equipment. The episode also visits a preschool that embraced outdoor education long before the pandemic made it a necessity.

Seattle Channel is the recipient of a Northwest Regional Emmy Award for a program that aired in May 2020 and zeroed in on healthcare in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Seattle’s government-access station was recognized Saturday, June 5, at the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) virtual Emmy Awards ceremony. 

“I’m humbled and heartened to be working with a team who is using their talents to focus on people and elevate Seattle’s stories, particularly in this past year of unprecedented challenges,” said Shannon Gee, Seattle Channel general manager. “The Emmy award and the nominations for some of our best work, including the Overall Excellence nomination, are an honor and reminder of Seattle Channel’s dedication to provide compelling and informative content for our community, a community that has gone through so much in 2020.”

Musicians during "Make a Joyful Noise," Swedish ICU room, 3D printing face shields at Slip Rabbit Studio, Stormtrooper virtually greeting kids in the hospital, Fiddleheads Forest School
Images from the episode “Healthcare Heroes” include, clockwise from top left: musicians perform during a nightly “make a joyful noise”; a healthcare worker inside a Swedish ICU room; face shields are 3-D printed at Slip Rabbit Studio; a Stormtrooper virtually greets hospitalized kids; preschoolers learn at Fiddleheads Forest School.

The winning program, an episode of Seattle Channel’s magazine show CityStream titled Healthcare Heroes, tells stories from the front lines in the early days of the fight against COVID-19. The episode won in the “Health/Medical – Long Form Content” category. The show includes a segment filmed inside a Swedish Hospital ICU, a profile of the local “make a joyful noise” nightly tribute to healthcare workers, the story of an artist who used her 3-D printing skills and equipment to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for caregivers when the world was seeing a shortage of this life-saving equipment, and explains how a group of volunteers changed the way they brought “May the 4th” to children’s hospital visits. The episode also visits Fiddlehead Forest School, a preschool that embraced outdoor education long before the pandemic made it a necessity. This program was produced by Norm Ohashi and executive produced by Shannon Gee; hosted by Enrique Cerna; photographed, produced, and edited by Randy Eng, Ian Devier, and Vincent Pierce; and edited by Christopher Barnes; with segments produced and reported by Linda Byron and Mona Lee Locke.

“Through informative and inspiring coverage of our city and its diverse communities, Seattle Channel is an important resource for the city’s residents,” said City Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4, Northeast Seattle), chair of the Council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee, which oversees the Seattle Information Technology Department and Seattle Channel. “We are fortunate to have a station that provides not only transparency and accountability in city government, but also sparks civic and cultural engagement, helps deepen understanding of local issues, and is committed to featuring many voices and perspectives.  I congratulate the team on this well-deserved recognition.” 

In the 58th annual Northwest Emmy Awards, Seattle Channel competed against commercial and public television stations in the Northwest NATAS five-state region which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. A complete listing of the awardees can be found on the NATAS website.

This year, the station received nine Emmy-Award nominations in program categories highlighting the quality and breadth of programming produced by Seattle Channel in 2020, including Business/Consumer, Health/Medical, Arts/Entertainment, Interactive Media, Interview/Discussion and Human Interest, the craft categories of hosting and editing, and overall station excellence. In addition to the above program, learn about the other nominations below:

A short video featuring restaurateur Trey Lamont’s efforts to expand his Belltown neighborhood Jerk Shack Caribbean restaurant while creating great jobs for the Black community was nominated in the “Business/Consumer – short and long form” category. The segment was produced, photographed, and edited by Christopher Barnes.

Art Zone received a nomination in the “Arts/Entertainment – Long Format” category for an episode where host Nancy Guppy interviews the up-and-coming performer Benicio Bryant, the Maple Valley teen who at 14-years-old made it to the finals on “America’s Got Talent.” Bryant also performed two songs and Susan Lieu curated the arts calendar. The episode heats up with a feature about the creative world inhabited by industrial artist, entrepreneur, and self-professed pyromaniac Rusty Oliver. Individuals recognized for this episode include producer and host Nancy Guppy, producers Rosemary Garner and Kate Huisentruit, editor Peggy Lycett, director and photographer Vincent Pierce, and photographer Ralph Bevins.

In the “Interactive Media” category, Seattle Channel received a nomination for a features that included a 360-degree guided tour of the the the ONYX Fine Arts Collective, a gallery that provides exhibition opportunities for Black artists. The virtual tour, led by the organization’s board president Ernest Thomas and featuring artists describing their own work, came out at a time when galleries and museums were in lockdown and the downtown Seattle gallery was experiencing challenges connecting with their community. Individuals recognized for this multimedia story include photographer/editors Ian Devier and Randy Eng; multimedia producers Tyler Sipe and Jennifer Nerad; and executive producer Shannon Gee.

After the 2020 summer of protests over police brutality and systemic racism, Seattle found itself at a crossroads over the future of the Seattle Police Department. A timely episode of City Inside/Out featuring a one-on-one conversation with the then new interim police chief Adrian Diaz was nominated in the “Interview/Discussion” category. This show was produced by Susan Han and Brian Callanan and hosted by Brian Callanan.

Cyclist Greg Roth’s Obliteride, the annual fundraiser for cancer research, is the subject of a segment nominated in the “Human Interest – Short Form Content” category. The piece follows Roth’s reasons for bicycling, his ongoing dedication to raising money for charities, and the upcoming documentary he is working on that will chronicle Obliteride and what motivates riders like him. This show was produced and edited by Christopher Barnes and photographed by Barnes and Jason Tang.

Brian Callanan, host of the channel’s City Inside/Out and Council Edition programs along with other shows, was nominated in the “Hosting” category. Christopher Barnes was nominated in the “Editor” category. Seattle Channel also received a nomination for “Overall Excellence,” where the channel competes with some of the region’s best commercial and public television stations.


Seattle Channel is a local TV station that reflects, informs and inspires the community it serves. Seattle Channel presents programs on cable television – channel 21 on Comcast (321 HD) and Wave (721 HD) and via the internet to help residents connect with their city. Programming includes series and special features highlighting the diverse civic and cultural landscape of Seattle.