New York Emmys Could Serve As Template On How Other Award Shows Should Proceed

The New York Emmys could serve as a template for other award shows.

The 63rd annual New York Emmy Awards is still happening despite the coronavirus pandemic. Since it’s the first to hand out awards amid the outbreak, the Emmys could serve as a template for how other award shows should proceed in the months to come, Variety reported.

“The Academy’s board of governors and I were determined to carry on this proud tradition, despite the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said N.J. Burkett, president of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) New York chapter and correspondent for WABC-TV.

The Emmys will be announced on Saturday (April 25) via a pre-produced webcast that will stream live on the New York Emmy Awards website and on Facebook Live. Initially, the gala was scheduled to be held at the Marriott Marquis hotel on April 18. It’s the first time the award show is going to happen without an in-person ceremony since its launch in 1957.

“We’re giving it a try to be creative,” Robert Lazo, NATAS’ interim director of awards and communications, said. “Yes, it would have been easier just to post a press release, but the board, especially for our chapter, decided to see if we could come up with something. We’re going to give it a shot and see how people like it.”

The Emmys will feature the presenters opening sealed envelopes and announcing winners in 137 categories from remote locations that have been pre-taped all around New York. The presenters taped this week in different New York locations near their homes including Oheka Castle in Huntington, Long Island, the waterfront in Weehawken, N.J., Rockefeller Center and Times Square.

“There was a camera person, a producer and then the presenter, at various locations,” Lazo said. “So the crew went from location to location they met the talent where they lived or near where they lived.”

NATAS is encouraging nominees and their colleagues to watch and celebrate together via online conferencing tools Zoom and BlueJeans. The winners are also expected to post their acceptance speeches on social media.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is also happening despite the pandemic. However, it is planning to go digital this year.

Meanwhile, Cannes director Thierry Frémaux is considering the possibility of working with other festivals in case Cannes Film Festival would be canceled. But the organizers still want to push through with the festival to contribute to the economy.