GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Maya Bdeg’a, an animated family legend narrated by Walter “Super” LaBatte of Granite Falls and a story about Guillermo del Toro’s “At Home with Monsters” exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art have each have received an Emmy® Award. The awards were presented by the Upper Midwest Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on October 6, 2018 at the Radisson Blu Hotel at the Mall of America in Bloomington.
The programs were produced by Pioneer’s Dana Conroy with videography and editing by Pioneer’s Kristofor Gieske and Ben Dempcy. This is the sixth year in a row that Pioneer has received Upper Midwest Emmys® for its local programs, adding up to a total of nine Emmy® awards received by Pioneer in recent years.
Maya Bdeg’a received an award in the Historic/Cultural/Nostalgic — Single Story series category and featured illustrations by Tate Marshall. Maya Bdeg'a has also been selected to screen at the prestigious St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) in November. Maya Bdeg’a is in competition at SLIFF for the Best Documentary Short Award and if it wins, it will be eligible for an Oscar nomination.
At Home with Monsters received an award in the Special Event Coverage (other than news or sports) category. The documentary is part of Pioneer’s ongoing effort to capture nationally touring exhibits for residents of small towns and farming communities who may not have the resources to drive to the Twin Cities metro area to take in these exhibits.
These two programs may be viewed online by visiting www.pioneer.org/emmys along with all ten of Pioneer’s 2018 nominated programs. Both of the award-designated productions were made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Pioneer Public TV is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information, visit www.pioneer.org or call 1-800-726-3178.
