LOS ANGELES — The founder of Nashville-based TNDV Television finds himself as one of three nominees for the inaugural “Excellence in Production Technology award” at the upcoming 75th Annual Technology and Engineering Emmys.
Nic Dugger served as the technical producer for “Christmas at Graceland,” produced by Los Angeles-based Done + Dusted. It aired as a live special on NBC on November 29, 2023.
Coincidentally, Dugger will direct the live broadcast of the Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards when the winner is announced on October 9 at the The Prince George Ballroom in the City of New York.
The other two nominees for this new award include Neutral Wireless Ltd. for their work on The Coronation of H.M. King Charles III and Industrial Light & Magic for their contributions to “The Santa Clauses,” Season 2.
“It is an honor to be nominated for such a unique award,” Dugger said. “The list of fellow nominees alone is a career highlight, and the opportunity to participate in this brand-new recognition is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Though his first national nomination, Dugger has been nominated for 54 regional Emmy Awards through the Midsouth Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), and has won 14 Emmys.
Dugger also was recently named Executive Director for the Midsouth Chapter.
Traditionally, the Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards are an honors style show as the recipients know they will receive the accolade. The Excellence in Production Technology category is the first live-announced peer-adjudicated recognition to be included in the awards gala.
“All shows have technical challenges,” Dugger noted. “What made the Graceland special unique was the fiber backbone we installed to manage over 40 camera locations on the property, which spanned over a square mile with a 4-lane highway right down the middle. Thanks to director Hamish Hamilton’s creative vision, we utilized tools for cinematic acquisition with Sony F-5500 cameras capturing the show in 24p UHD while delivering a broadcast 1080i/59.94 signal to the network over both fiber and satellite-based uplink.”
TNDV Television provided three mobile production units for the show, including a traditional production truck for Grass Valley switching, Xpression graphics, EVS playback, and dual KiPro/Hyperdeck recording, along with their Studer Vista equipped audio production facilities for music mixer Larry Reed, and an uplink truck that also served as home for some of the overflow production crew.
— Reporting by Brian Galante
