With a humorous film about the human species, a student and professor team from ComArtSci have landed a Michigan Emmy.
The Michigan Chapter of the 41st Emmy Awards was held on June 15, 2019. The ceremony is an annual celebration of broadcasting excellence and many Spartans rose to the occasion. Several of Michigan State’s faculty and students received nominations in categories such as lighting, graphics and sports features. WKAR, the PBS affiliated network housed in the Communication Arts & Sciences building, is represented in six categories and earned several Emmy awards.
Professors Troy Hale and Geri Alumit Zeldes and recent graduate Zoe Kissel took home the Emmy in Promotion - Program - Single Spot for their TV trailer for the film, Sh*t Saves the World. The film is a humorous take on our species’ impact on Earth, exploring serious topics in documentary format. It was made possible from a grant sponsored by MSU's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. Originally proposed as a short film, it now spans over an hour in length.
According to Hale, this marks 11 years in a row ComArtSci faculty have earned Emmy awards.
“This is the third time that I have won an Emmy award with one of my former students. It was extremely exciting to see Zoe win her first Emmy award,” Hale said.
For the student and professor team, this isn’t just a fun project to rack Emmy wins off of. It is an important exploration of how humans affect nature and to what extent.
“‘Sh*t’ is really saving the world, given its potential to be recycled into drinking water, bricks to provide fire, and to build homes in rural provinces, fertilizer, as well as in fecal transplants,” fellow producer Zeldes said.
By John Castro