An online TV show made in New Zealand has scored a major coup, becoming the first ever NZ production to win an International Emmy Award.
Reservoir Hill took the Digital Program: Children & Young People category. The interactive web series follows 16-year-old Beth Connolly as she is forced to solve a mystery when she moves to a creepy suburb.
The awards were presented at a Ceremony in Cannes, France. "This year's winners have masterfully demonstrated how to enhance the viewers' multiplatform experience," said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "We congratulate them on their achievements."
The series, shown on the Web through TVNZ On Demand, allowed viewers to interact with the story by texting its central character at the end of each episode. The character appeared to read the text message on her mobile phone, and the actual message sent by the viewer could be seen in a special bonus scene. The production team then analysed all the viewer feedback before writing the script for the next episode.
The programme was created, produced and directed by Thomas Robins and David Stubbs, of Wellington-based KHF Media. The SMS functionality is the work of Run The Red, a digital mobile marketing company that has been involved in campaigns for leading brands including BP, Vodafone, Disney, SKY, Telecom and Kiwibank.
TVNZ's Chief Executive Officer Rick Ellis is thrilled with the show's international achievement."When we set about our five year strategy to inspire New Zealanders on every screen, our intention was to be the best pound-for-pound digital media company in Australasia. But we just beat the world!"
General Manager of Digital Media Tom Cotter is similarly delighted with Reservoir Hill's prestigious award. "The award proves TVNZ's ability to innovate on a world stage. I couldn't be happier for the team who worked on the project: the production company KHF Media, TVNZ's Digital Media, and New Zealand On Air, all of whom are an exceptional and passionate bunch of people."
David Stubbs and Thomas Robins were at the ceremony in France to pick up the Emmy and were elated at the achievement."It feels amazing. We're thrilled for the team here at KHF Media: the cast, crew and writing team who worked tirelessly on a project we were all proud of," Stubbs says. "It's also awesome for TVNZ and New Zealand On Air who backed the unusual and innovative project."
Reservoir Hill was consistently one of the most viewed shows on TVNZ Ondemand during its eight-week run, and will be given a special feature length screening on TV2 in the Sunday Midday Movie slot on May 16th.
