RTF alumnus Kevin Pruitt wins Lone Star EMMY
20 October 2009
On Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Palladium Ballroom at Gilley's in Dallas, Texas, Austin-based director/producer Kevin Pruitt took home his first Lone Star EMMY Award® for his directorial work on the fourth season of DOWNTOWN, a 30-minute documentary-style show about downtown Austin that airs on public television around the state. Pruitt earned a statuette for the episode “Creating a Great Downtown” in the following category: PUBLIC/CURRENT/COMMUNITY AFFAIRS – PROGRAM (Watch it now: http://downtownaustintv.org/#/living/new-urbanism/)
The winning episode was the season's lead segment and Pruitt worked to weave together pieces on a local level. Moreover, the Congress for New Urbanism was in town while the crew was shooting, so Pruitt and the production team were granted exclusive access to some of the world's greatest urban developers and thinkers. This allowed for a national and global perspective on how to create an efficient but fun-loving city-- characteristics that define Austin. With an overarching vision, Pruitt was able to incorporate multiple insider and outsider elements to create a relevant and poignant story.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be recognized for my work on DOWNTOWN,” enthused Pruitt. “This win carries particular significance because I was allowed to take it to the streets and craft a story through documentary filmmaking. For the episode, I read and digested the entire Austin Downtown Plan and quickly got up to speed on legal/economic issues, density issues, political issues, and the concepts behind ‘New Urbanism.’ I examined how the city is trying to involve the community in its future. The episode tackles the question: ‘How do we balance smart, green and sustainable growth while maintaining Austin's character that we all know and love?”
With Pruitt at the helm, the production team also included Downtown Austin Alliance and Action Figure Studios - with KLRU-TV airing the broadcasts.
ABOUT KEVIN PRUITT
A native of the north-central small town of Mineral Wells, Texas, Pruitt became enamored with filmmaking in the 5th grade and was ultimately discovered by a Columbia Pictures executive when he was still completing his degree at the University of Texas Austin’s film school. Invited to showcase his work at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, he ultimately won a job at Columbia TriStar promoting and marketing home videos for films. After four years of commuting back and forth from Los Angeles to Texas to work on various projects, Pruitt decided to settle back in Austin to develop his skills as a director.
He spent the next eight years creating documentaries, music videos, corporate and legal videos, children’s video and commercials. Time and again, he was sought for his distinctive interviewing style for luminaries such as Willie Nelson, Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and Coach Darrell Royal.
ABOUT THE EMMY® AWARDS - LONE STAR CHAPTER
In June 2002, the Board of Trustees of the National Television Academy (NTA) unanimously approved the formation of the Lone Star Chapter in Texas, and in four years, the chapter has grown to become one of the largest in the country. The statewide Lone Star Chapter serves all 19 television markets in Texas, and includes members from TV-related fields including: news and non-news broadcasting; production; post production; education; advertising; and public relations. The Lone Star Chapter, which is based in Dallas/Fort Worth, is dedicated to becoming the primary portal to connect professionals and students in Texas' television broadcast-related fields for networking and career development. The chapter also is committed to encouraging and recognizing high levels of professional achievement through the annual presentation of the prestigious regional EMMY® Awards.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences was founded in 1957. It is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the distinguished EMMY® Award.
ABOUT KLRU's DOWNTOWN
DOWNTOWN highlights the people, places, stories and situations that make DOWNTOWN: As Austin As It Gets™. Produced by the Downtown Austin Alliance and Action Figure and broadcast by KLRU-TV, the program began airing on KLRU-TV in 2005 as a series of 30-minute programs. This thought-provoking and educational series has quickly become one of the most watched shows on Austin's Public Television Station – reaching more than 1.5 million viewers. Since 2005, the show has won: Six Lone Star EMMYs® and a 2008 Envision Central Texas "Raising Public Awareness" Community Stewardship Award.
