Whit's Hits

2008 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards
December 6, 2008
Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, Orlando

Pretty good haul for the Sun Sports / Fox Sports Florida crew.

L to R: Keith Haeberle and Amber Tollefson, based in South Florida, were honored for their work with the “Inside The Heat” series; Lynne Mixson picks up an award for “Inside The Magic: Gameday All-Access,” and John Powell earns the nod for the ‘baseball cap’ promo campaign.  I’m the one on the right who barely grazes John’s elbow.

I was part of the five-person team that won for the “Inside The Magic” episode, and also part of the three-man entry behind “Under The Lights: Stories of Courage.”  Thus, double-fisting it at Shingle Creek.

Several of us who were listed on winning entries were not present at the ceremony; big thank-you’s to Mike Wargo, Bryan Harden, Mark Rickles, Brett Opdyke, and everyone at Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida who contributes their piece of the puzzle every day.

Thanks also to executive producer Ned Tate and GM/VP Cathy Weeden for giving us the tools and the freedom to do what we do; as fruits of labor go, those little statues ain’t bad.

I was also nominated in two categories for which I did not win: Sporting Event/Game - Live/Unedited (as part of the Orlando Magic broadcast crew) and On Camera Talent - Sports Talent.  In the Live Game category, there were no Emmys awarded this year.  They can do that at the regional level—no matter how many nominees there are in a category, there may be one winner, two winners, all winners, or no winners.  You’re competing against a standard, not against each other.  Very important distinction from the national Emmys.  Anyway, nobody won the Sporting Event/Game - Live/Unedited category, while the On Camera Talent - Sports Talent category had one winner, who was, umm, not me.

You know how you hear actors say “it’s an honor just to be nominated”?  It’s really true.  I was humbled just to be there.

But winning doesn’t suck, either.