June 3, 2015For immediate release

Contact: Fran Minakowski fminakowski@mpt.orgOffice: 410-581-4138

Maryland Public Television earns 17 Emmy® nominations in annual competition

MPT will broadcast Emmy® award ceremony June 30

OWINGS MILLS, MD – The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Television Academy of Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has announced nominations for its 57th Emmy Awards, and Maryland Public Television has earned 17 nominations in 12 different categories of the annual competition.

The nominations recognize 2014 work in some 92 categories of production and television crafts. The competition is open to any television station, company, production house, or independent producer in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. There were 825 entries in the competition resulting in 186 nominations, plus three additional nominations – MPT among them -- for the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Community Service Award.

The chapter’s Emmy® Awards gala will take place on Saturday, June 27, 2015, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, and a three-hour telecast of the ceremony will air on Maryland Public Television on Tuesday, June 30 at 8 p.m. on MPT2, the station’s secondary channel. The awards will be re-broadcast on MPT-HD, the station’s main channel, on Wednesday, July 1 at midnight.

MPT’s nominations were earned in the following categories:

Chesapeake Heritage –Program/Special“Downee Ocean, Hon!”Michael Sobola, Producer/WriterBarry Goldstein, EditorMichael English, Executive ProducerPatrick Ridgely, Associate Producer

Arts/Entertainment--Program Feature/Segment “Paul Reed Smith”Susan Stahley, Producer

Historical/Cultural—Program Segment “The American Flag”Mitch Butler, Producer/Host/Animator

Technology—Program/Special“Electric Road Trip”

Jonathan Slade, Producer/Director/Editor/Talent Documentary—Historical

“Mandel: A Complicated Life”Mark Keefer, Executive ProducerJoe Campbell, Producer/EditorLou Davis, Writer/ReporterJeff Salkin, Writer/ReporterMelinda Wise, Associate Producer

Magazine Program—Segment “Maryland Farm & Harvest: Grimmel Girls”Sarah Ellen Sampson, Segment Producer

Magazine Program—Segment “Outdoors Maryland: The Invasive Chase”Lara Lutz, Segment Producer

Magazine Program—Segment “Maryland Farm & Harvest: Maryland’s Bee Whisperer”Tom Wach, Segment Producer

Magazine Program - Program/Special“Maryland Farm & Harvest: Episode 208”Sarah Ellen Sampson, Series ProducerTom Wach, Segment ProducerStefanie Robey, Segment ProducerMichael English, Executive Producer

Magazine Program - Program/Special“Outdoors Maryland: Episode 2703”Michael English, ProducerPatrick Ridgely, Associate Producer

Public/Current/Community Affairs - Program/Special“Star-Spangled Spectacular: Sneak Preview”Frank Batavick, Producer

Public/Current/Community Affairs - Program/Special“Unlocking Invisible Fences”Mark Keefer, Executive ProducerNancy Yamada, ReporterJeff Salkin, AnchorMelinda Wise, Associate ProducerRoxana Barden, Associate Producer

Audio“D-Day at 70: A Salute to America’s Greatest Generation” James Bigwood, Audio Supervisor Jillian Kuchman, Post Production Audio TechnicianMSgt. James DeVaughn, Audio MixerMSgt. Loren Zimmer, Audio Mixer

Audio“Audio Composite”David Wainwright, Audio Post Production

Editor - Program (Non-News)“Maryland Farm & Harvest: Episode 204”

Tanya Spann Roche, Online Editor Lighting

“Concert for the Chesapeake Bay 2014” Tracy Gaspari, Lighting/Photographer

Photographer - Program (Non-News)“Downee Ocean, Hon!”Tim Pugh, Photographer

About MPTLaunched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of 19 million page views annually. MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities.

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