The 55th New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards™, announced this year’s winning entries at the 2012 awards ceremony Tuesday, April 17th at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The Grand Jury honored the World’s Best TV Programs & Films™  and awarded three prestigious Grand Trophies to the following companies: ESPN, USA; Temolo Productions for BIO, The Biography Channel, USA; and ReelzChannel, USA. 

ESPN earned the title of Broadcaster of the Year for the fifth consecutive year, and The Edge Picture Company, England was honored once again with the title of Production Company of the Year. In total, the 2012 Grand Jury awarded 119 Gold World Medals, 145 Silver, 102 Bronze, and 331 Finalist Certificates for their outstanding work.   

In addition to earning Broadcaster of the Year and a Grand Trophy, ESPN swept the awards, taking home 20 Gold World Medals, 14 Silver, 9 Bronze, and 18 Finalist Certificates.  The Edge Picture Company also figured prominently in the winner’s circle. The London-based company was honored with 4 Gold World Medals, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze, and 12 Finalist Certificates.

NYF’s Production Company of the Year award is the ultimate accolade for any corporate production company, and as such, at The Edge we feel extremely privileged to have been awarded this again, for the 6th year in a row.  We always say that the most important judges of a film are its intended audience, but we’re overjoyed that the value of producing memorable, high quality work is also recognised by such a prestigious and internationally competitive event,” commented Faye Haggerty, Marketing and PR Manager, The Edge Picture Company.

This year’s spotlight was on Geoffrey Mason, Senior Production Specialist for ESPN, who was honored with the NYF Television & Film Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Jodi Markley, Senior Vice President/Operations for ESPN, presented the award. Mason is one of sports television’s most accomplished executives with more than 40 years of domestic and international production experience including: the FIFA World Cup, seven Olympic Games, six World Cups, and multiple America’s Cup races.  

ESPN, USA earned the Grand Trophy for “Indianapolis 500 Open: A Walk Through Time” in the Television - Promotion/Open & IDs category. The sports opener commemorates the 100th year of the Indy 500.  The award-winning entry takes the audience to the emotional core of Indy’s racing heritage and culminates with a glimpse into the future of Indy. “Indianapolis 500 Open: A Walk Through Time” also earned 2 Gold Awards, 3 Silver and 1Bronze.

“I want to thank the NY Festivals for this recognition of ESPN's efforts in journalism, storytelling and production,” said John Skipper, ESPN president.  “We strive for excellence in all our content for fans, and it is gratifying to see the efforts of our employees valued.  In addition, we are thrilled at the tribute to Geoff Mason and his lifetime of accomplishment.  Geoff is a longtime friend of ESPN.  His work has distinguished and inspired all of us.”

Temolo Productions for BIO, The Biography Channel, USA was honored with the Grand Trophy for “Ray Charles' America” in the Biography/Profiles category. The entry chronicles the life and times of Ray Charles, singer, composer, and bandleader credited with the early development of soul music.

The ReelzChannel, USA was recognized with the Grand Trophy for “The Kennedys” in the Television –Entertainment Special category.  The mini-series, a Muse Entertainment Production in association Asylum Entertainment, relives the public and private triumphs and tragedies of the Kennedy clan. 

“Having had the privilege of being home to ‘The Kennedys’, one of the most extraordinary mini-series ever televised, everyone at REELZ tips their hat once again to the cast, crew and creators who brought to life the story of one of America’s most iconic families,” said Stan E. Hubbard REELZCHANNEL CEO. “The Grand Trophy from New York Festivals is a particularly prestigious honor for our partners Muse, Asylum Entertainment and Joel Surnow, who together set the bar for our continued pursuit of excellence in all that we do.”

Each award segment was presented by prominent industry executives, including:  Chris Brown, Executive Vice President of Conventions & Business Operations for NAB, USA; Sharon Burden, Senior Advisor/Cybersmart Programs with  Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australia; CheeK,  creator/ writer of The Kitchen Musical, executive Vice President and Creative Director of Group Entertainment, Singapore; Rob Howell,  Supervising Producer, CNN Productions, USA; Jay Kossoff, Vice President & Executive Producer, The Golf Channel, USA; Maribel Martinez, Creative Director, Televisa S.A. de C.V. Mexico;  Jodain Massad, Producer, Kansas City Chiefs, USA; and Simon Witter, Director for ZDF German Television, Germany.

The recently launched Heroes category, recognizing stories of ordinary people whose acts of heroism touched the lives of others, had multiple entrants earning awards:  ESPN’s “Outside the Lines - The Man in the Red Bandanna” and “E:60 Josiah's Time” earned a Gold Award; and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “There’s Something About Earl” received a Bronze. Campaigns honored in the  new in 2012 Green Promotion category include: Cartoon Network Latin America “Green Campaign” received a Silver World Medal and i-CABLE Entertainment Limited, “Save The World: Conserve Energy” garnered a Finalist Certificate. 

The trend in Online Programming resulted in the Grand Jury awarding the following companies: “The Test Tube with David Suzuki” created by National Film Board of Canada, and “Who Will Save Dina Foxx?” created by ZDF German Television each took home a Gold World Medal.   “Welcome to Pine Point” National Film Board of Canada, and “Food For Thought: Behind Treme Season 2” HBO Creative Services for HBO; “CNN Freedom Project” CNNi for CNN; and “13,854 seconds” ZIGGY mediahouse GmbH for client Audi earned Silver World Medals.  Bronze Medalists include: “Thanks Making of Video” DDB Chicago for client State Farm; Boardwalk Empire Facebook Trailer, HBO; “Destination One” Red Bull Media House GmbH; “Chiefs Kingdom: Joplin”, Kansas City Chiefs;  “Elite Athlete Workouts” sponsored by Dodge for Yahoo! Sports.

Entertainment  entries receiving Medalist status include: “The Bomber” FILM.UA, Ukraine; and “The Kennedys” ReelzChannel, USA and The “Kitchen Musical” The Group Entertainment, Singapore each were honored with a Gold World Medal.  “The Greatest Love” Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Republic of South Korea took home Silver Awards.  “Operation Checkmate - Operaci?n Jaque” TVE - Pentagrama Films, Spain; “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Republic of South Korea; and “East West 101, Season 3” Knapman Wyld Television each received Bronze Awards.

The Grand Jury awarded the following Documentaries Gold World Medals: “On the Trail of Easy Rider - Born to be Wild,” ZDF German Television, Germany; “Mundos Extremos Ep 2 Menonitas: Tradiciones Violadas,” Discovery Networks Latin America, USA; and “Unforgettable -Three Family Portraits” Fuji Television Network, Inc.  Silver Award winners include: “The Beethoven Project,” Deutsche Welle DW-TV, Germany; “History Detectives,” Lion Television, USA; “The Love We Make,” Maysles Films, USA; and “Running To America,” for The Marathon Project, created by Goodoil Films, Australia.

Promo’s and Promotional Programs scored high.  HBO’s “Game of Thrones” earned a Gold World Medal, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze, and Finalist Certificate.  Other HBO winners include “Big Love,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Hung.”  Showtime’s “Homeland” garnered a Gold World Medal, 2 Silver, a Bronze, and a Finalist Certificate.  Other Showtime winners include: “The Borgias,” “Dexter,” and “Nurse Jackie.”  Starz took home a Gold World Medal for “Boss.”  “Spartacus:  Gods of Arena,” and “Camelot,” each earned Silver; and “Torchwood Tease” and “Camelot Show Open” each received Bronze.

Each year, the New York Festivals, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Public Information, appoints a judging panel to select work that exemplifies the aims and ideals of the United Nations. 2012 United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) award winners: BDA, London was honored with the Gold UNDPI Award for “L'ABITRE” in the Sports & Recreation category for client ESPN; NDTV, India earned the Silver UNDPI Award for “Jeene ki Aasha” in the Human Interest category; Higashi Nippon Broadcasting, Japan was honored with the Bronze UNDPI Award for “Heartache and Hope Through the Viewfinder - 49 Days of Life and Death” in the Best News Documentary/Special category.
 
The 2012 New York Festivals Television & Film Awards received entries from forty countries around the globe.  All winning entries were selected by our Grand Jury comprised of award winning Television and Film professionals. 

NYF’s Television & Film Award Presentation and all acceptance speeches will soon be available for viewing on the International Television & Film Awards website. For a complete list of this year’s award winners go to: www.newyorkfestivals.com/nabshow2012/mobile/ or for more information please go to: www.newyorkfestivals.com .