May 17, 2012

OXFORD, Miss. - "The Season: Ole Miss Football 2011" picked up another honor recently, earning an Emmy nomination by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).  Ole Miss is nominated for outstanding achievement in Television News and Program Specialty.

Breaking new ground in the way coach's shows are produced, "The Season: Ole Miss Football 2011" went behind the scenes to tell the story of the campaign through the eyes of the players.   Fans got an up close and personal look at the Rebels during team meetings, practices and bus rides to the games.

"Our research showed that traditional coach's shows were full of old and tired content," said senior associate athletics director Michael Thompson. "The decision to take a leap with `The Season' was easy when we combined that research with our overall strategies of personalizing and humanizing Ole Miss student-athletes and coaches and showcasing our facilities in an engaging way.  Of course this nomination is rewarding, but the fact that Rebel fans have loved the new show is reason enough to be proud."

"The unprecedented access we gained through practices, team meetings, locker room and behind the bench brought the fans deep within the program," said director/editor, co-producer Shane Sanford.  "We wanted to bring the players literally into the viewer's living room by telling their individual personal stories and put a face to those in the helmets we all cheer for every weekend."

The weekly show was produced by Ole Miss Sports Productions.  The creative team who put the award-winning show together includes:

Shane Sanford - Director/Editor, Co-Producer

Micah Ginn - Co-Producer, Camera

J Stern - Producer

Darrias Thomas - Camera

Greg Gray - Camera

Matthew Graves - Camera

BJ Smith - Camera

Matthew Milner - Camera

David Dillard - Camera

Jonathan Evans - Narration

Michael Thompson - Executive Producer

Brandon Hudspeth - Screener

Kyle Campbell - Screener

The 2012 Southeast Emmy Awards will be presented at the awards gala June 9 at the Grand Hyatt, Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga.

Earlier this year, "The Season" earned an AVA Gold Award for outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of media.