NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES

SUNCOAST CHAPTER

About Us

The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to excellence in television. We offer annual Regional EMMY® Awards called The Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards to television markets in the entire State of Florida, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama, Thomasville, Georgia and Puerto Rico.

If you are interested in the Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards, go to the Awards page.

The Chapter is composed of professional people who work in television or students who are studying television in colleges or universities and aspire to become professionals. If you qualify and would like to become a member, go to the membership page.

Contact

Suncoast Chapter
P.O. Box 840738
Pembroke Pines, FL 33084
954-322-3171
emmysuncoast@gmail.com

Board of Governors

Officers & Staff

  • Frances Hernandez
    President & Chapter Council, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Director, Programming and Production Administration, South Florida PBS
  • Craig Stevens
    1st Vice President & Membership Benefit Chair, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Anchor, WSVN-TV
  • Mia Laurenzo
    2nd Vice President & Student Production Awards Chair, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Multimedia Producer, SideShow Charlie Productions, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
  • John Mays
    Treasurer, Emmy Awards Production Chair, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Production Manager, CBS Miami
  • Chris Cifatte
    Secretary, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    News Anchor, WINK-TV, Ft. Myers
  • Richard Engelhardt
    Chapter Council & Awards Chair, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Producer, WPLG-TV
  • Karla MacDonald
    Executive Director & Chapter Council, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
  • Ron Martin
    CPA, P.A., Controller, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
  • Deviyani Panchal
    Administrator, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
  • Stacey Panson
    Art Director, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
  • A. Sheila Oretsky
    Ex-Officio Member, NATAS Suncoast Chapter
    Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, P.A.

Regional Vice Presidents

  • Mary Blue
    Regional VP – Louisiana
    Retired, Professor of Television and Film
  • Claire Galt
    Regional VP – Ft. Myers/Naples
    Anchor & Lead Reporter, WINK News
  • Miguelángel López
    Regional VP – Orlando
    VP of News, Telemundo 31-Orlando
  • Jordan Matich
    Regional VP – West Palm Beach
    Managing Editor, WPTV, NewsChannel 5
  • Victor Montilla
    Regional VP – Puerto Rico
    EVP & COO of NAICOM Corp.
  • Preston Rudie
    Regional VP – Tampa
    CEO & Founder, Catalyst Communications Group

Board of Governors

  • Frank Adelson
    Editor, WTVJ NBC 6, Miami
  • Nicole Borrero
    Producer, South Florida PBS
  • Vanessa Espinel
    News & Entertainment Producer, WPLG Local 10 News
  • Claudia Keppinger
    Scholarship Chair, Marketing Operations & Project Manager, American Welding Society
  • Antonio Mora
    Associate Professor, Frances L. Wolfson Chair in Communication, University of Miami
  • Sandra Peebles
    Media Specialist/Image & Performance Consultant, Peebles Communications
  • Ana Rivera
    Public Relations and Communications Services, Identity Media
  • Dennis Scholl
    Producer and Documentary Filmmaker
  • Sarah Serafini
    Head of Studio, BPD – Boca Raton, FL
  • Susan Solano Vila
    Membership Benefits Chair, Retired VP of Creative Services & Community Relations, NBCUniversal / NBC 6 Telemundo 51
  • Alex Suarez
    Manager II, Production, BECON-TV at Broward County Public Schools

Committee Chairs and Members

  • Barbara Alfonso
    Past President, Scholarship Committee
    Retired Vice President, TeleXitos (Telemundo Station Group)
  • Max Wyler
    Sponsorship Committee
    Owner and Lead Producer, Accord Productions, Miami
  • Gina Presson
    Student Production Awards Committee
    Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism, Faculty Advisor PrimeTime, NewsBreak and CanesCast, University of Miami
  • Rocio Ramirez-Pellicer
    Student Production Awards Committee
    Senior Manager, Promotions, Univision
  • Victor Hugo Fernandez
    Student Production Awards Committee
    PBS NewsHour, Student Reporting Labs | Director, Youth Media Program

History

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences was founded in 1955. It is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Award for News, Sports, Daytime, Public Service and Technology.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Award for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public & Community Service, Technology & Engineering, and Business & Financial Reporting. Regional Emmy® Awards are given in 19 regions across the United States. NATAS also presents the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Global Media Awards™ which recognizes excellence in the world-wide intersection of digital entertainment and technology. Emmy® Awards given out for primetime programming are presented by our sister organization, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including Regional Student Television Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public.

Copyright and Trademark

EMMY® NAME AND EMMY® STATUETTE POLICIES

The Emmy® name and the Emmy® statuette are the trademarked property of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (“NATAS”) and The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (“ATAS”). Additionally, the Emmy® name, logo and statuette are licensed to the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (“International Academy”) for International Emmys®.

  1. Emmy® honorees or those congratulating them may at any time refer in advertising and publicity to the fact that the honoree has received an Emmy® award and may for one (1) year after an award is made, use a replica of the statuette in advertising and publicity which appears in print, by broadcast or over the Internet.
  2. During each year Emmy® nominees or those congratulating them may refer in advertising and publicity to the fact that the nominee has been nominated and, provided that such nominees are clearly identified as such, may during the period from the announcement of nominations until the following awards presentation use a replica of the statuette subject to the requirements set forth below.
  3. Broadcasters, cable services and Internet sites may use the Emmy® name and statuette in connection with promotional announcements for programs or broadcasters (or the like) which in fact have been awarded an Emmy® as long as it is done within one (1) year after the awarded has been awarded and not thereafter.
  4. Subject to obtaining specific authorization from the chief operating officer of the appropriate Academy (i.e. the NATAS for Daytime Emmy®, Sports, News & Documentary, and Technology & Engineering Emmy® presentations and other regional Emmy® presentations and ATAS for Prime Time Emmy® and Los Angeles Area Emmy® presentations), sponsors of Emmy® Awards presentation may use a copy of the Emmy® statuette and the Emmy® name in advertising provided that (i) the advertising occurs at or near the time of the presentation of the Awards show and (ii) advertising makes specific reference to such sponsorship of the show. No other commercial use of the Emmy® name or statuette is permitted.
  5. In the case of DVDs, videos and electronic productions, Emmy® honorees and/or producers of Emmy®-honored programs may reference the fact of their receiving an Emmy®; however the statuette may not be used unless it is capable of being removed from all copies or transmissions within one year after the award is granted.
  6. Whenever the statuette is used it should appear facing left and must be accompanied by ® at its base (denoting trademark protection). The word “Emmy” is also trademarked and whenever possible its use should appear as follows: “Emmy®“. Any deviation from these instructions must be pre-approved. A copyright notice for the statuette is no longer mandatory, but when used should read “©ATAS/NATAS”.

The Academies have adopted the following rules concerning use of clips from their respective Emmy® awards presentations:

  1. Use of Excerpts from Emmy® Award Presentations in News Programming and Similar Programming: Audio and audiovisual excerpts from Emmy® Award presentations may be used in news broadcasts (Including Internet transmissions) about these events which occur within two (2) days from the time the presentations are initially presented, except that excerpts may be used in week-end-type news shows during the weekend following the initial presentation. Exceptions to the two (2) day limit must be approved in writing by the chief operating officers of the applicable Academy. In the case of news reports in foreign countries, excerpts may be used during a reasonable period (to be approved by the chief operating officer of the Academy involved) following the presentation or the first broadcast of the event in the foreign territory, if later. In addition to uses described above, and, subject to clearance as outlined below, the policies governing use of excerpts for other news purposes are as follows:
    • Excerpts may be used in current news stories which relate to a recipient of an award, e.g. a current news story regarding a recipient (such as a death or marriage);
    • Excerpts may be used in retrospectives and similar programs and documentaries dealing with the career or history of recipients;
    • Excerpts may be used in another awards show.
    In all cases, the user of the excerpt must assume (and will be deemed to have assumed) all clearance obligations, i.e. clearance of individuals (other than uses in current news shows), union clearances and music clearances. In no event may the clip contain excerpts from another production (e.g. an excerpt from a program receiving an Emmy®) unless the copyright owner of the other production consents on terms acceptable to such copyright owner. Each Academy reserves the rights to (i) limit the period of time during which an excerpt may be used and (ii) charge a fee for the uses of excerpts described in subclauses a. – c. above.
  2. Use of Excerpts in Entertainment and Other Programming: Excerpts of the presentation of an award may be used in a promotional announcement for a period of one (1) year following the granting of the award, provided that the primary purpose of the promotional announcement is to congratulate the program or individual so honored:
    • Excerpts of Emmy® Award presentations may be used in DVDs, videos and Internet uses of both pre-existing productions and of new productions provided that the primary purpose of the use is to honor the awardee (e.g. a DVD containing a year’s series of a show that received an Emmy®). Additionally, with authorization from the appropriate Academy, excerpts may be shown at non-broadcast public events (e.g. a dinner) provided the primary purpose of use of the excerpt is to honor the individual or program honoree who/that is the subject of the excerpt.
    • Excerpts may be made available to individual and program Emmy® honorees for personal and Internet use. In the case of Internet use, excerpts may be furnished digitally, or when possible, from a hosted site whereby the excerpt may be embedded. In any case, the digital excerpts shall be non-broadcast and not capable of redistribution or download. Internet license is limited to one hosted source, embedding can be enabled, but all other forms of redistribution including downloading are not allowed.
    • In all cases, the user of the excerpt must assume (and will be deemed to have assumed) all clearance obligations, i.e. clearance of individuals (other than uses in current news shows), union clearances and music clearances.
    In no event may the clip contain excerpts from another production (e.g. an excerpt from a program receiving an Emmy® unless the copyright owner of the other production consents on terms acceptable to such copyright owner.) Each Academy reserves the right to limit the period of time during which an excerpt may be used, except that in the case of DVDs and similar product this limitation shall apply to the period of manufacture, with recognition that items may be sold off subsequent to the end of the license. Each Academy reserves the right to charge a fee for the uses of excerpts described in this paragraph 2.
  3. Use of Excerpts in Commercials. Except as provided above for promotional announcements, excerpts from an Emmy® awards presentation may not be used in commercial advertising.

Although the Academies will permit certain uses of the Emmy® name and statuette in other contexts, the unrestricted use of the same violates both the value and stature of the Emmy® and may serve to dilute the marks. Therefore the following uses, although permitted under some circumstances, always require prior express written authorization from the chief operating officer of the Academy from which authorization is sought:

  1. Use of Emmy® Statuette or Certificate as a Prop in a Production. If authorized, the Emmy® statuette or a replica of a nomination certificate may be used as a prop in a production provided that (i) the use is in no way derogatory to the Emmy®, (ii) the use is incidental to the primary story of the production, and (iii) the script and other detail regarding the use has been submitted as a precondition to the Academy’s consideration of its authorization.
  2. Use of Emmy® Replicas; Re-Creations of Emmy® Awards Presentations. Requests for use of replicas of the Emmy® and requests to recreate or simulate an Emmy® Awards presentation must be submitted to the Academy from whom authorization is sought; each request will be considered by the chief operating officer (in consultation with counsel); in cases where authorization is denied, the applicant may request re-consideration by the Executive Committee of the Academy from which authorization is sought.
  3. Use of Emmy® Name or Statuette in Published Works, Websites, and the Like.
    • If approved, the Emmy® name and/or statuette may be used in connection with printed works, websites and the like, provided that the work is of an educational or informational nature and the reference to the Emmy® name or statuette is non-derogatory and is reasonably related to the purpose of the work.
    • With prior approval, Emmy® honorees may from time to time use pictures of themselves receiving the Emmy® statuette or otherwise holding the Emmy® statuette in personal resumes and the like. Pictures of Emmy® winners receiving their Emmy<®sup></s statuettes or otherwise holding the Emmy<su®p> statuette may also be used in printed materials and websites and the like featuring biographical material about such honorees, provided that the use is reasonably related to the biographical material.
    • With prior approval, the Emmy® name, logo and/or statuette may be used on DVDs or similar productions that include programs that have received a program category Emmy® award, indicating that the program has been so honored. Except in unusual cases, as determined by the appropriate Academy, approval for such uses for programs for which individual achievements (but not program category awards) were given will not be allowed.
  4. Uses on Stationery, Business Cards, and the like: Nothing shall preclude an individual or entity from stating the fact that such individual or entity is an Emmy® honoree on their/its stationery or business card, provided that neither the Emmy® logo nor the statuette is used in connection with such factual statement, it being understood that any such use of the logo or the statuette is specifically prohibited.
  5. Use of Emmy® Name or Statuette in Merchandising Prohibited: The Emmy® name and/or statuette may not be used on commercial products or in connection with any merchandising items except with prior approval of the Boards of the Academies. This restriction does not apply to branded merchandising given away at an event with an Academy’s approval, e.g. an Emmy® name or logo on a give-away gift.

These provisions apply to NATAS; readers should contact each of the other Academies to determine their applicable rules as to sponsor identification and Emmy® show activities

  1. Consistent with the Trademark policy prohibiting use of the Emmy® name and logo for advertising and merchandising, the following applies to corporate sponsorship partners of NATAS:
    • Sponsorship partners may, clearly, identify themselves as associated with NATAS; however they may not use the Emmy® name and logo on their products or in advertising material unless specified in the sponsorship contract with NATAS. NATAS’ marketing department or chief operating officer must approve all graphics.
    • Sponsorship partners that get tickets for a show/dinner may use them for employees and clients, but may not offer to re-sell them. Use of tickets for contests must be specifically approved by NATAS.
    • The same rule applies to broadcasters of the shows or their affiliates.