Producer Susan Han, Seattle Channel General Manager Shannon Gee, and videographer Randy Eng hold Emmy trophies. Photo: Maria Zambrano Seattle Channel is honored to have received three Northwest Emmy Awards in the categories of public affairs program, human interest short-form content, and video essayist. The recognized work includes a documentary spotlighting the city’s fentanyl crisis; an Art Zone feature on master guitar maker Roy McAlister; and videographer Pete Cassam, who was recognized for his visual storytelling in the video essayist category for the second consecutive year.
The City of Seattle’s government-access station was recognized Saturday, June 1, at the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Emmy Awards ceremony.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell remarked, “The Seattle Channel continues to provide this unique and important service to the residents of Seattle; telling the stories of our vast cultural heritage, community, and our OneSeattle mission. It makes me proud to see them add to their accolades.”
Mayor Harrell made a brief appearance in the documentary ‘The Fight Against Fentanyl,’ which secured an Emmy in the public affairs program category. Producer Susan Han, writer Brian Callanan, editor Randy Eng, and freelance photographer Dustin Gagne dedicated over six months to the documentary, spotlighting the deadly synthetic opioid responsible for claiming the lives of 150 Americans daily, including at least two individuals a day in King County.
“The community programming from the Seattle Channel is a treasure for residents of our community. No other station tells the stories of our neighbors that gets to the heart of the world-class city that Seattle truly is,” said City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth. “Each year they continue to evolve as story-tellers while providing in-depth coverage of our City Council meetings and decisions.”
Earning an Emmy in the human interest category was the Art Zone profile on Roy McAlister, an accomplished maker of handcrafted guitars. The visually poetic feature was created by the duo Peter Cassam and Vincent Pierce.
Seattle Channel competed against commercial and public television stations in the Northwest NATAS five-state region, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. All awards in this 61st annual Northwest Emmy Awards were for work completed between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
“Each year, the Seattle Channel continues to raise the bar of municipal television excellence,” said Interim Chief Technology Officer Jim Loter. “This year is no different as reflected by these awards from their peers. The City of Seattle is lucky to have this.”
This year, the municipal TV station received 15 Emmy-Award nominations across a wide range of program categories, including business/consumer, health/medical, environment/science, arts/entertainment, historical/cultural, diversity equity inclusion, public affairs, and human interest.
Videographer Randy Eng was also inducted into the Silver Circle of Northwest NATAS on Friday. This prestigious award recognizes his 34 years of impactful contributions to the television industry and his reputation for beautiful storytelling and dedication to community service.
Seattle Channel General Manager Shannon Gee remarked, “While the Seattle Channel doesn’t cover sports regularly, we have a championship-level team dedicated to quality storytelling and public service. Their work highlights the innovative, creative, and dedicated people, organizations, and communities in Seattle, and keeps us informed about our beloved region. Congratulations to Team Seattle Channel and 2024 Silver Circle MVP Randy Eng for their continued service to our city and communities.”
A complete listing of the awardees can be found on the NATAS website.
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.