The PBS show that brings famous musicians to Danville did not win its category at this weekend’s Capital Emmy Awards, though the show’s creator, Brandon Adams, said he was proud to be nominated.
“We didn’t win, but it was a great experience,” Adams said Monday.
The show, “The Life of a Musician,” did, however, win a Telly Award in the cultural television series category.
The show is affiliated with both Blue Ridge PBS and new station PBS Appalachia. It was nominated for the Capital Emmys under Blue Ridge PBS and for the Telly Awards under PBS Appalachia.
“The Life of a Musician” features conversations between Adams and famous acoustic musicians in historic locations around Danville. Adams, a musician himself, also plays a few songs with the artists in most episodes.
The first season of the show was nominated for the Capital Emmys’ interview/discussion category. A second season will premiere later this year.
Blue Ridge PBS also received a Capital Emmy nomination in the technical achievement category for ECHO, an education channel, though it didn’t win.
PBS Appalachia, however, brought home Capital Emmy awards for each of its seven nominations. It also was nominated for five Telly Awards and two Virginia Association of Broadcasters awards.
The station won every award for which it was nominated, for a total of 14 awards in its inaugural year.
Jacob Dellinger, executive producer for the station, said that PBS Appalachia won more awards than any other public media station in this chapter of the Capital Emmys, which serves Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
“While I am ecstatic and surprised by the sheer volume of awards we won this weekend, it is no surprise to me that the judges fell in love with these particular stories from Southwest Virginia,” he said. “We are privileged to serve a beautiful people and a beautiful land. Our part is easy, we give them a platform to shine.”
The nominations are a testament to the hard work and creativity of the PBS Appalachia team, Julie Newman, general manager of the station, said in a news release.
“We are honored to be recognized and look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional programming to our viewers,” Newman said.
Below are the 14 awards that PBS Appalachia shows received this year:
Capital Emmy Awards:
- “Hometowns – Bluefield” – Category: historical/cultural; long form content (longer than 10 minutes)
- “The Trout Farmer” – Category: director; short-form content (up to 10 minutes)
- “French Magnolia Cooks: Chicken” – Category: director; long-form content
- “The Trout Farmer” – Category: editor; short-form content
- “French Magnolia Cooks: Chicken” – Category: editor; long-form content
- “Albert Newberry” – Category: lighting
- “The Trout Farmer” – Category: photographer; short-form content
Telly Awards:
- “The Trout Farmer” – Silver Telly winner television general – cultural
- “Hometowns – Bluefield” – Silver Telly winner television general – cultural
- “The Life of a Musician” – Bronze Telly winner television series – series: cultural
- “French Magnolia Cooks” – Bronze Telly winner television series – series: food and beverage
- “The Trout Farmer” – Bronze Telly winner television craft – videography/cinematography
VAB Awards:
- “The Trout Farmer” – Best human interest series
- “French Magnolia Cooks Promo” – Best station promotion/contest