Awards chief says he’s seen it all over 38 years

LOS ANGELES — In 38 years of managing the Emmy Awards — more than half its 70-year history — John Leverence has faced everything from the demands of a changing TV industry to ticket nightmares to a statuette guilty of causing bodily harm.

As the TV academy’s senior vice president for awards, he’s seen the Emmy categories double from about 60 to 122, entries balloon from 1,500 to 9,000, and the ceremony outgrow 3,000and 5,000-seat theaters and pack its current venue, the 7,100-seat Microsoft Theater.

Despite his long tenure, Leverence still frets over industry members unable to get a seat for TV’s annual celebration of its best. Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and FX’s “Atlanta” are among the contenders for Monday’s awards (at 8 p.m., NBC) and illustrate why this has been dubbed TV’s second golden age.

But Leverence long has observed the effect of the honors, with newly crowned winners arriving backstage clutching their trophy and appearing dazed and lost.

It was Leverence who helped bring cable (followed by digital) into the Emmy fold once solely for over-the-air broadcasting. In 1988, an adroit solution applied TV markets and ratings to new platforms to make their programs eligible for awards consideration.

The genial, professorial Leverence admits to witnessing some lesser moments, one involving the elegant gold Emmy statuette of a figure with wings — really sharp-edged wings — triumphantly extended skyward.

“One guy was so excited, he was gesturing to his friend and ran the wings into his leg,” Leverence recalled of the backstage moment. The wounded winner returned to his seat, noticeably bloodied but intent on staying.

There was another encounter that took place when recipients were given prop trophies until one could be engraved and sent to them. (Current recipients keep the trophy and get an engraved plate added.)

A winner refused to surrender his, pushing back with a heartfelt performance worthy of its own special-category award.

“‘No, no! My mother is in the hospital. I know she’s going to die tonight and I have to get to the hospital with my Emmy to show her before she dies,’” Leverence said, recounting the speech.

“Of course he was lying,” he said, drolly. “But what can you do with that kind of story?”