Arizona Republic staffers nab 6 Emmy Award nominations
Arizona Republic and USA TODAY NETWORK staff members were nominated for six Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Wednesday.
Each year, NATAS chapters across the country recognize the top work in regional broadcasting communities. The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which is based in Phoenix, also covers New Mexico, Utah and El Centro, California.
Republic and USA TODAY NETWORK staff members David Wallace, Mary Jo Pitzl, Nick Oza and Dianna Náñez were nominated for their contributions to the documentary “They Have Names,” a project navigating Arizona’s child welfare system. The team spent more than a year filming five people and their families as they made their way through the foster care system.
Photographers Sean Logan, Cheryl Evans, Patrick Breen, Nick Oza and Diana Payan were nominated for “Beyond the Gridiron,” a documentary series highlighting South Mountain’s football team.
Wallace and photographer Thomas Hawthorne were nominated for “The Wrestler, The Soldier,” which tells the story of Roman Rozell’s journey from the battlefield to an ASU wrestling mat.
Photographer and videographer Michael Chow was nominated for “Forgive Me,” a story detailing Derek R. Tope’s return from Iraq and Afghanistan as the former Army medic faced post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, substance abuse, sleep disorders, anger issues and alienation.
Photographer and videographer Mark Henle was nominated for “Arizona’s Next Water Crisis,” which explores how a lack of regulation of water wells is threatening the livelihood of the state’s rural families and ecosystems.
Lastly, Wallace and Rob Schumacher were nominated for “Profile of a Serial Arsonist,” a story detailing the motives of arsonist Mark Sands, who burned eight houses on the edges of desert preserves.
The Rocky Mountain Emmy winners will be announced during the 43rd annual Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards virtual gala on Sept. 19.