CWU Producer Brings Home Emmy Award

June 9, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- A series of educational mini-documentaries produced by Chris Smart of Central Washington University's Multimedia Technology and Instructional Support, won an Emmy Award. "Moments in American History" was nominated in two categories and won the Emmy for Advanced Media - Children, Youth and Teens at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Northwest Regional Emmy awards ceremony held in Seattle Saturday, June 7, 2008.

A coordinator of media production and development at CWU, Smart produced the documentaries with the help of CWU alumnus Tom Christian, a former Thorp School District teacher who still works at the district as the director of the Teaching American History grant. The three-year, $1-million-grant was essential in producing the documentaries, Smart said.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)," Smart said. "It's important to note; however, that any success this project may have is a result of a collaborative effort between our department, the grant administrator and the historians who participated in the documentaries."

Along with being selected in the Children, Youth and Teens category, the series was also nominated in the Informational/Instructional Feature/Segment category.

The series took three years to complete and covers American history starting from 1750 to the present day. On the DVD, the documentaries are in three segments: "1750-1865: Events Affecting Growth of Territories and States," "1865-1945: Growth to World Power" and "1945-2005: Interactions Within Our Borders & Throughout the World." Thirty-five mini-documentaries were made, each lasting about two-and-a-half minutes.

"Interviews conducted with 18 of the Northwest's most prominent historians were used in the production of mini-documentaries for air on PBS," Smart said. "Through the consolidation of all materials, a DVD featuring the documentaries was created and distributed nationally."

The series is composed of historical film clips, still images, sounds and interviews. "Film most commonly used in the early 1900s did not contain audio. Natural sound and effects had to be located or recreated, and then tediously synchronized to nearly all of the historic video clips and stills used in the documentaries," Smart explained.

Recently the series was placed on Apple's iTunes. It can be found in the TunesU category and downloaded for free.

The series has been distributed to every school district in Washington state, the Offices of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in all 50 states, and to approximately 300 universities nationwide. The DVD has been sent to history teachers, museums and libraries throughout the Pacific Northwest.

To view a complete list of Emmy recipients, go to natas-seattle.org/awards/. To learn more about the documentary, check it out on iTunes.

Media Contact: Chris Smart, CWU Multimedia Technology and Instructional Support, 509-963-1610, smartc@cwu.edu
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu,509-963-1117 or 509-899-1222

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.