2016 Emmy Nominees, And Winners, In Their Own Words

The 2016 Emmy Award celebration consisted of three afternoon strolls along the red carpet:  two devoted to the Creative Arts Emmys and one for the Prime Time Emmys.  Nominees – and some who went on to become winners – shared their exuberance and thoughts with Variety 411 before heading into the Microsoft Theater.  Here are some highlights taken directly from conversations had over the three day award arrivals.

Sean Callery shared his response to his multiple Emmy nomination for Outstanding Composition for a Series for his work on “Minority Report” and Outstanding Main title, which he won, for his work on “Marvel’s Jessica Jones.”

SC:  To be honest, I was very surprised to get the ‘Minority Report’ nod. I worked very hard on it, and I’m extraordinarily happy with the music on it. The show didn’t last long, I think (due to) the timing.  To have it noticed was very special.  I certainly didn’t anticipate that ‘Jessica Jones’ would be nominated, for that was a very special thing too.

Variety 411:  I now you dedicated a lot of time to “Minority Report.”  What does it feel like when a show you’ve devoted energy doesn’t get picked up, yet you’re nominated all the same?

SC: It’s just a reality.  You can’t really control that, you just have to do the best you can and hope it survives.  You do your part and everyone does their’s and if you are lucky you put on a suit and a tie.

Our Lady J was representing “Transparent.”  Although not personally nominated for an Emmy this year, she was celebrating her first year as a writer on the show, which was nominated a second year in a row for “Outstanding Comedy.”

Variety 411: Tell me a little about what makes you feel proud about joining the “Transparent” family?

OLJ: I was brought on because there weren’t any trans writers.  I’ve always been a writer but music was my main thing before ‘Transparent.”  Jill Soloway trained me to write for television.  I just assumed I was going to be a downtown punk.  I never dreamed I would be on a red carpet for a mainstream show.  To be able to tell my story on a personal level has been life changing.  The more I tell my story, the more someone lives out my story, the more the world watches my story.  I realize I’m not so different, and we realize we are all not so different.

Thirty year cinematography veteran Cresenzo Notarile was celebrating his first nomination for his work on “Gotham.”  He shared his thoughts about what motivates him every day on the job.

CN: You must be extraordinarily passionate about what you chose to do for a living because you don’t want it to become a job.  What I do as a DP is not a job to me. It is a creative release for me, it is a way that I breathe.  A way of life.  So I had to train myself to be that way and to express myself in that kind of caliber, otherwise it becomes a job.   And you don’t want to get up every day were you feel that way.  I’ve been around the block for a long time, (and to be part of this) “platinum age of television” is very thrilling for me.  My nominees are extraordinary artists, I’m huge fans of them all, and for me to be nominated with them here at this time is very special.

 

The second time proved the charm for Mac Quayle, who won the Emmy for his “Mr. Robot” score.  Quayle had recently completed the second season for “Mr. Robot” and spoke about returning to that musical world.

Variety 411:   What is it like for you as a composer to continue along in the score after captured a sense of the character in the first season and now elevating him as he change?

MQ: You know, this is the first time.  On a show like American Horror Story it changed every season, which is a whole other challenge to reinvent the sound every season.  So this is the first time that I’ve done a second season and continued where we left off and try to take it somewhere else.  It had its challenges as well, because I was pretty comfortable where we left off, and there was a part of me that wanted to just stay in that world, but then we also need to push it forward to.

Variety 411:  Season Two has a harder, heavier, more of a driving force within the score, is my take correct?

MQ: There is definitely a harder, driving element this season.  There were also some efforts to move into more organic elements, which are not hard and driving, but bring in some strings ,violins and cellos, which we did almost none of in season one.  There was some piano.  That’s it, the rest was electronic.  It was kind of nice to branch out a little bit.

Variety 411:  But you are here tonight for season one.  Are you enjoying coming back, doing this walk for the second time?

MQ:  It is a little more familiar but I’m definitely excited and nervous.  I feel like a winner already…to just be standing here talking to you I feel like a winner.  It is going to be a great party afterward anyway, and I feel really humbled and honored to be recognized.

Also making his second walk down the carpet was actor Reg E. Cathey, who won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for “House of Cards” in 2015.  With a repeat nod in the same category and the same series, he was decidedly elated.

Variety 411:  You look like you are having even more fun this year than you were last year.

REC: Yes I am.  You know, because I have had a long, hard road, I have a perspective that I may not have had if I had more success when I was young.  I had friends of mine that dealt with success too early.  So I this is just fabulous.  I really don’t care (about winning), no not at all, because this moment itself is the reward.

Robert Duncan was celebrating his forth Emmy nomination, and his first nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme for “The Whispers.”  While he did not walk home with the trophy, the nomination itself held a special honor for him.

RD:  Main title is so special to me because main titles are the things that inspired me to learn piano when I was a little kid.  The first sheet music I bought was the theme to Hills Street Blues by Michael Post.  So now to be here is just thrilling, it means the world.

Variety 411:  Would you agree that a main title is so crucial, that it is an introduction to world of the show to the view?

RD: It informs the viewer where we are going, and it is also a bit of an endangered specials.  They were thinking about getting away from main titles: I think networks get worried that it is an opportunity to change the channel.    This was for ABC and to be given 30 seconds with an orchestra was a dream come true.  I swung for the fences and am very happy.

Celebrating his second nomination for “Fargo Season Two”, Jeff Russo was enjoying his time on the carpet.  While he didn’t win the award, he did express his excitement about the release of the soundtrack for both “Fargo” and his most recent work, the score to “The Night Of.”

JR:  I come from a background of making albums and making records, and I feel it is important that people be able to listen to it as music and not just in conjunction with the show.  It gives it an additional life.

Variety 411:  I have to say I am in love with the music for “The Night Of”.  The main title is so perfect in describing the entire series.

JR: It is funny, it was the very forst thing I wrote.  Steve Zaillian, the director and creator sent me all eight episodes before he hired me, and said ‘Let me know what you think.’  I called him and I said I love this I have to do this and he said ‘Great, so why don’t you just start.’  The very first thing I did was write that piece of music.  When I started writing it wasn’t to picture. I had an idea, and it doesn’t happen all the time, but you write something and it just feels like it fits right.  And when he told me that it was perfect, I said OK I’m not out of my mind crazy.

Anne Morgan was making her first walk down the Emmy red carpet for her hairstyling in the HBO movie “All the Way.”  A frequenter of feature film hairstyling, she loved the experience the television movie provided.

AM: It was a really great process.  I had some great conversations in fact with Ladybird’s own hairstylist at the time.  We had a great time with Bryan Cranston and a lot of support from HBO anything that we wanted to do.  And every actor wanted to step up to the level that Bryan set, which was …he just completely embodied LBJ.  It is interesting I had never been nominated for an Emmy before, and I feel like our company is so strong in our category.  I feel really honored and proud of the work and I feel as though my team, even the people that came to day check, everyone was so inspired by the story, the fabric of what the US became from the 60s and what we deal with now, the political racial issues and undercurrent that still exists.  It’s all been an honor.

The third time was the charm for veteran cinematographer John Simmons.  After two previous nominations for his work on “Pair of Kings”, Simmons won the Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series category for the Nickelodeon series “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.”

Variety 411: It is a real challenge for DPs to get nominated these days because there is such a wealth of talent and material out there. How are you feeling about being nominated this year?

JS:  This is the golden age of TV in terms of cinematography.  There is some of the finest cinematography we’ve ever seen before, it is like feature films being made every day.  I am in the medium of multi-camera.  We are still pushing a creative envelope to become a part of the new age of TV.  And hopefully my picture is doing that.

Variety 411:  I would imagine there is another layer of challenge for you working on a series created for kids.  You must focus on best angles and best way to get the story across in a creative, artful way but always being conscious of an audience that doesn’t have the full range of experience to fully embrace a purely aesthetic image.

JS: Exactly, you are completely right.  You are always trying to make the picture have a voice beyond the image so that it links (the viewer) to the story and the next image.  It is the entire montage of the concept that the cinematographer is embracing.  The show is well- written, well-acted and children love it.  And obviously someone else loves it, because I am here!

Making his first walk down the red carpet, Gary Kordan, nominated for his production design of “Key and Peele” noted the encouragement he received from his staff and crew made him feel like a winner ten times over.

GK:  I’m here with the “Key and Peele” my crew – all these people I worked so closely with for seven days a week.  We are all in suits instead of sweaty clothes.  And the support from my co-workers (on “Just Add Magic”) has been over-whelming.  I always have a black t-shirt and jeans on when I work.  On Friday, everyone took part in a “Support Gary on his Emmy Nom - Gary Kordan Day.”  The crew, the executives, everyone wore black.  That made me feel like I already won.

Matthew Senreich and many of the producers of “Robot Chicken” recalled the origins of the show back in 1999, when dial up internet made downloading images an extremely timely process.  They received their fourth Emmy win – and the first win since 2010 despite consecutive nominations.

Variety 411: I’ve seen you so many times on this carpet. What keeps “Robot Chicken” in the forefront?

MS:  Well, the show doesn’t look like anything else on air, even after all these years.  And our writing is done specifically to suit the look of the show.  There is something people respond to, that viewers like.

James Lipton was celebrating his nineteenth nomination for “Inside the Actors Studio” – honors it has received since 1994.

JL:  The fact that people admire this work and would mark a ballet to include me makes me feel so honored.

Variety 411:   What excites you the most about speaking the high caliber actors you invite to join you on “Inside the Actors Studio?”

JL:  I prepare for two weeks, sometimes three or four.  There are 300 or 400 blue cards I prepare for each guest.  And when they suddenly verve off in a moment I didn’t expect, it is the best moment possible.  That’s when I get really excited.  I just go chasing after them.

“Making of a Murderer” hit a high note with the viewing public and the Television Academy as well.  Representing the show were directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos (who also served as editor.)  The team won all four Emmys they were nominated for:  Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Documentary of Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program.

LR:  This is part of the journey we didn’t plan on.  It was a passion project for a long time and remains to be.  We were extremely grateful to the Academy.  The whole experience has been rewarding ad humbling. We share this experience with everyone, particularly our sound designer and editing assistance; we are very happy for them.

Variety 411: I’m glad you mentioned sound design.  As the piece was coming together, what were you looking for in terms of your sound and sound design?

LR:   We went with Wildfire (Finishing) working with Leslie Shatz and Daniel Ward.  We were looking for someone to embrace the texture of the piece; we have phone recordings, we had interrogations.  We wanted our viewers to feel like they were there, whether that was through the image or the sound or the music.  We were really looking for someone that would approach it creatively.  It was a great experience.

Variety 411:  Working with such a diverse range of elements how did you maintain integrity of the recorded elements you were editing or emphasizing audio components on?

MD:  It was very subtle – we maintained a keen eye and delicate hand.  It could be overdone.  We wanted to maintain textures and palettes.  Jason (colorist at Technicolor) was thrilled with the challenge.  Our main thing was we don’t want the mix media to take the viewer out, we want the viewer to have an experience as much as they can feel immersed in this story.  Everyone brought their A game and infused their craft.  You have to know what you are doing to elevate the rest without standing out.

Although the “Deadliest Catch” went away empty-handed this year, Captain Sig Hansen remained proud to be a part of the consistently Emmy nominated reality series.

SH: The guys on the show work so hard.  It is a battle between production and fishing and we have to meld together.  My hats are off to them.  It took me a few years to respect the industry.  And the show has affected people across the world.  It has changed the perception of seafood and what it takes to get it to the table and why it is so expensive.  It’s about knowledge.  It is neat, I love it.

After fourteen years and eight nominations, Adam Savage was making his final walk on the red carpet in celebration of the final year of “Mythbusters.”  Letters from fans all over the country informing him of how the show helped educate and inspire children was a far greater award to him in celebrating the show’s conclusion.

AS:  This is grreat, but what I want is my crew to feel rewarded for their work.  This was a fun team.  A lot of my producers started out as interns and runners on the show.  It’s one of the best things about television.  IF someone said there was something they wanted to do, we figured out a way for them to do it and get great at it.  It is the best crew on TV - I love those people like family.

Variety 411:  How have you felt since the final episode aired?

AS:  Super emotional.  I went through all the stages of death.  At this point I feel lucky to have spent 14 years making something we cared about.  It doesn’t matter if we win, I know what we made and it will forever be a part of me.

Kathryn Burns was excited to be included in the Outstanding Choreography category, alongside past Emmy winners including Derek Howe and Travis Wall.  She was celebrating her first nomination for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, and ultimately left the evening the surprise winner of the category.

Variety 411:  Unlike the dance numbers featured in the reality shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” you are infusing your character’s personality and the trademark comedy of the show into your routines.  Tell me how you are feeling having this style of work represented.

KB: I used to work in post, and would make people watch “so you Think you can Dance” whenever it was on.  It’s funny because in college, when I was studying to become a nurse, I would say my dream job was to be a choreographer for TV and film.  I knew it and figured it out.  So this is a dream come true.  To be recognized for comedy and dance routines that are secondary to the joke, I feel like, I don’t need to compete…I could never compete.  To be in the same breath as these choreographers is 100% flabbergasting.

Recognized for Outstanding Production Design for his work on “The Voice”, James Connelly was particularly honored to be participating in the award show being held on September 11^th, and used his time in attendance as a reflection on the day.

Variety 411: This is your fifth nomination for “The Voice.”

JC:  It is an honor to be recognized for (the past) years.  This is awesome.  This year it is a little more personal because of the September 11^th anniversary.  I moved out (to LA) 15 years ago.  Today is a day that I get to look back.  I’m just excited to get better every day.  It’s nice to be recognized for “The voice” but I’m looking forward to continuing to get better every day!

Jayson Jackson, one of the producers recognized for “What Happened, Miss Simone?”, this year’s Emmy winning Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, was particularly excited that the movie had a life in the theater as well as television.

Variety 411:  Your film had so many nominations, including an Oscar nomination.  What does the Emmy nomination mean for you?

JJ: It’s most interesting and a thanks to Neflix.  I had no idea we’d be eligible for an Academy Award and an Emmy.  I’m just happy people are watching the film and acknowledging Nina’s brilliance.  It’s really about that.   So many more people can see it in that (Netflix) format.  For me, it was all about education.  I was always frustrated in music education.  Most fans, they love the songs the musicians make and the shows they put on, but they didn’t understand what the artist’s might be going through in their home and personal life.  Nina struggled a lot and she still managed to bring great art to the word, so I wanted to pay homage to that.

Tracee Ellis Ross had traveled the red carpet once before for her performance in “Girlfriends” in 2003.  She was thrilled be representing “Black-ish” in the Outstanding Leading Actress category, and shared what she felt was most important about a career in acting.

TER: IF you love it, if you work hard and focus in on just this dream you have, then you will get it.  Look at me, I was the colored girl from Missouri.   We’re all winners to be here.  The day I realized I was a star.

Variety 411:  You mentioned you developed a thick skin in this business and kept yourself surrounded by strong yet sincere people.  What are you looking for when you look for work, and the people you work with?

TER: First of all, I was in Athens, Georgia when they (the producers of Black-ish) called.  When they said “Black-ish” I said what was that?  I said blackish better have some greenish.  Then they said Laurence Fishburne was attached and I just love him.  But, I have come to the point in my career where, wherever I am, I have to be happy.  If I am not happy, I gotta go.  The set of “Blackish”, even if it is 4 in the morning, I am happy to go in, because everybody is professional, everyone is there to have a good time, and it is a family.    We have those beautiful kids, great writers.  Kenya Barris pushes the line.  We have to be bold, we have to be diverse, and universal in order to keep up with the internet.  You know, I roll with the big dogs.  When something has a lot of humanity attached to it, I am there.  It’s given even white people a chance to see our story.  But it is not about black or white.  This country has to come together.  We have to rise as people.  We mustn’t have this separation, we have to come together in order to survive.  And that is true.