NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO TO RECEIVE 2020 INTERNATIONAL EMMY® FOUNDERS AWARD
International Academy to Recognize his Effective Use of Television During the Pandemic
New York, November 20, 2020 – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York will receive this year’s International Emmy® Founders Award, in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world. The Emmy® will be presented to Governor Cuomo, also a New York Times best-selling author, during the Academy’s live, International Emmy® Awards show streaming at 11 AM ET, on the Academy’s website www.iemmys.tv, on November 23.
“The Governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” said International Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisner. “People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back.”
The Founder’s Award is presented to an individual or organization who “crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity”. Prior recipients include Vice President Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg.
On March 2, 2020, New York Governor Cuomo conducted a media briefing from Manhattan to inform and educate New Yorkers and the public at large about the coronavirus outbreak that was just starting to be recognized as a massive public health threat. That 12-minute introduction, part of a 34-minute session with other state leaders, was the first of 111 consecutive daily briefings for New Yorkers and the wider world about the grim progress of the worst pandemic to hit the United States in a century. The briefings were carried live by New York’s local TV stations, nationally on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and other news outlets in the U.S. and around the world. The last “daily” briefing was held on June 19, 2020. These daily communications have drawn a total of 59 million viewers.
Andrew M. Cuomo is the 56th Governor of New York. After the 1996 election, President Clinton appointed him to serve as HUD Secretary. In 2006, he was elected New York State Attorney General. In 2010 he was elected Governor and re-elected twice in 2014 and 2018.
About The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership-based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from over 60 countries and 500 companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology. The Academy’s yearly schedule of events includes the prestigious International Emmy® Awards held in New York, The International Emmy® Kids Awards at MIP and a series of industry events such as Academy Day, The International Emmy® World Television Festival and Panels on substantive industry topics. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognizes excellence in television produced outside of the United States, as well as US Primetime programs produced in languages other than English, with the prestigious Emmy® Award. Currently celebrating programming across varied areas including: Arts Programming, Current Affairs, Comedy, Documentary, Drama Series, News, Non-Scripted Entertainment, Short-Form Series, Telenovela, and TV Movie/Mini-Series, it also recognizes excellence in Performances and Kids programming. For more information, go to www.iemmys.tv