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GOLD & SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTION 2015
Longtime "Peanuts" Producer
Mendelson Inducted Into Gold Circle
Ashley, DuHain, Lee, McConnell, Warren, Zeiden
Become Silver Circle Inductees At Ceremony In San Francisco
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By Keith Sanders
Chapter President
The 2015 Gold & Silver Circle Induction Luncheon took place at the Parc 55 Hilton Hotel in San Francisco on Saturday, October 24. John Odell (SC '03), past Chapter president, welcomed everyone to the very special event
(Odell substituted for Chapter President
Keith Sanders
, who was attending a memorial service).
"The Gold & Silver Circle recognizes those who have been actively engaged in television for at least 25 or 50 years (at least half of that time in this NATAS chapter area), distinguished themselves in their careers and have made significant contributions to the TV industry and to the community," said Terry Lowry (SC '96), Gold & Silver Circle Induction Luncheon chairperson. "Including today's inductees, there are 246 members of the Gold & Silver Circles combined."
"I love it that this is not just an induction luncheon, but it's a wonderful opportunity for a TV reunion between everyone, of all ages," said San Francisco Vice President Kevin Wing (SC '13). "Year after year, there is always a magic in the air at the Gold & Silver Circle ceremony."
"
It's such a unique experience to get the chance to meet and honor the TV veterans who inspired many of us to become journalists in the first place," remarked Awards Chairperson Julie Watts.
This event is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors. Our Bronze sponsor is The Big Picture Film & Video. Table sponsors are Capital City AIDS Fund, Sandy Lee, KPIX 5 and Zeiden Media.
The Chapter's professional members purchased tickets for students to attend the event. Those Chapter members were Richard Block (SC'99/ GS'10), Alison Gibson, George Lang (SC'14), John Odell (SC'03), Ross Perich, Manny Ramos (SC'00'), Erik Rosales, Brenda Salgado, Don Sanchez (SC '00), Keith Sanders, Steve Shlisky (SC'14), Matt Skryja and Pamela Young (SC'04).
 Scholarship donations were made by The Big Picture Film & Video, Craig Franklin and Jim Joy. In-Kind Sponsors are Craig Watts and Deborah Larson of Watts Winery, Brad Kinstler, See's Candies, Carolyn Compton of Floradora Floral Designs, Jodi Cummings and Pier 39. the Sony Corporation donated pens.
Each inductee was introduced by a specially-selected person in his or her life, and then a custom video was shown about their career, featuring comments from colleagues.
"The on-screen moments were priceless, funny, powerful, emotional," said Governor Joyce Mitchell (SC '10). Then each inductee came to the lectern to accept their membership in this prestigious honor
society.
"Every video and speech by the inductees was extraordinary," said Mistress of Ceremonies and Fresno Vice President Kim Stephens (SC '14). "I was truly impressed with and inspired by all these inductees have done in their careers." Kim set just the right tone by making sage comments about each inductee. Her amazing sense of humor added to the festivities.
 The first Silver Circle inductee was Tom DuHain, a retired reporter and anchor who spent his entire 46-year career at KCRA 3 in Sacramento. In 1968, he was a member of the station's 11 p.m. news, a weather forecaster in the 1970s and news anchor and reporter in 1979. From 1989 to his retirement in 2015, DuHain was a field reporter.
"Tom is a kind, humble man, but he always gets the story somehow, someway," said Joyce Mitchell, who also introduced DuHain. "I had the honor of working with him as a producer for many years at KCRA Channel 3 in Sacramento. But don't let his kindness fool you. He tackled wrong-doings and aggressively set them straight through great TV reporting. He closed down Rancho Seco nuclear power plant almost single-handedly."
 "In 1995, I was president of this Chapter and Cynthia was president of ITVA," recalled NATAS Trustee
Linda Giannecchini
(SC '97)
. "When I began to realize her dedication and vast amount of professional contacts, I asked her to join NATAS. It was really one of the best moves that I ever made."
Cynthia Zeiden's
career has been focused on non-commercial and educational media through her work in public television. After graduating with a Master's Degree in Broadcast Management from the University of Tennessee, Zeiden worked in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1992, she moved back to her hometown of Chicago to become Director of Broadcast Operations at WYCC. Three years later, she moved to San Francisco to become Program Manager at KCSM. In 1999, she founded Zeiden Media, where she distributes documentaries and TV series to all PBS stations. Recently, she has also begun lecturing in broadcast management at California State University, Sacramento.
Zeiden has since become a local and national figure within the NATAS organization. Her body of work for NATAS is very impressive. She's a past Chapter president and has been Chapter Program/Event Chair for over a dozen years. She now also chairs the National Program Committee.
 Dan Ashley
joined KGO-TV ABC 7 in San Francisco in 1995 and has co-anchored ABC7 News weeknights for the last 19 years. During his 30-year broadcast career, he has been recognized by the Associated Press, SPJ, RTNDA and NATAS, in addition to being involved in many community organizations.
Ashley accepted his induction via video from Tanzania, where he was on a long-planned vacation with his wife and family. His vacation was planned well in advance of his knowledge that he would become a Silver Circle inductee. Even though Ashley is a 2015 inductee, the Chapter will honor him at next year's induction luncheon when he can be present.
"He's a great friend to me, much like having another brother," said Kevin Wing (SC '13) in Ashley's introduction. "He has the utmost respect for whomever he is interviewing, be it the President of the United States or a homeless man on the streets of San Francisco.
He has given tremendously to our business, and he cares about our Bay Area community.
" Ashley accepted on videotape sent from Taninseia Africa and said that he looked forward to accepting in person next year.
 Sandy Lee
was a sought-after executive producer who managed consumer and investigative units at three Bay Area TV stations -- KGO-TV, KRON and KPIX. She mentored countless reporters and garnered many awards for the staff she managed.
"We met
in college," said retired KPIX & KRON reporter
Linda Yee
(SC '07)
. "After graduation, I was a KRON production assistant and she was public information officer at Laney College. I called her and said that broadcasting is a lot of fun and you ought to get a job. Next thing I know she was at KGO-TV in the promotions department. So we were broadcast newbies and we've come a long way since then."
George Warren
is a multiple Emmy Award-winning reporter and multi-media journalist at KXTV News 10 in Sacramento. His work for KXTV has taken him around the world as he covered the invasion of Panama and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Before KXTV, Warren was an evening anchor for KTVL in Medford, Oregon, and he was a reporter at KHSL-TV in Chico -- while he was a student at Chico State University.
"37 years ago, I hired George as an intern at KHSL, and soon noticed that he had a talent for reporting," said retired KXTV reporter Dan Adams (SC '05). "George eventually followed me to Sacramento where we stayed for many, many years. We're not just co-workers, he's become my best friend."
 Doug McConnell
is a television journalist who has focused on environmental issues, with programs on the air since 1983. He's best known as the Host and Senior Editor of the Bay Area Backroads series, which aired on KRON from 1993 to 2009.
"It's a real privilege to have known Doug, he's like a father and a brother to me," said Photographer/Editor
Jack Uhalde
. McConnell's son,
Nicholas McConnell
, added, "You taught me the importance of being polite, compassionate, open-minded, all of that good stuff."
The 2015 Gold Circle inductee was Lee Mendelson (SC '88), President of Lee Mendelson Film Productions. Mendelson's TV career began in 1961 when he started working at San Francisco's KPIX. After leaving the station, he started his own film company. Mendelson befriended his hero, Willie Mays, followed  the San Francisco Giants around that season, and made A Man Named Mays for NBC. Soon, Lee began a 30-year collaboration with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz (SC '97), based on a documentary idea he had about Schulz and his comic strip. Mendelson is best known as executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials that have appeared on network television since 1965.
"It was 50 years and 11 months ago this week that Lee, Shultz and Bill Melendez were feverishly rushing to complete their first animated special to deliver to CBS," said son Jason Mendelson, who spoke during his introduction.
"My family and I are fiercely proud of our father's work and legacy. We're in awe of his ability to still sell, write, create and hustle the heck out of a show."
NATAS Education Chair and Trustee (SC '14) Steve Shlisky handed out $10,000 in scholarships to this year's student awardees (see scholarship article). In addition, a record 20 college students attended the event at no cost thanks to ticket donations from the board. "I was touched by how many NATAS board members sponsored a student," said Kim Stephens. "When I thanked them, the smiles and nodding heads from the students was heartwarming proof of how much they appreciated being there."
"It was great to see students attend our event," said Kevin Wing. "We will one day pass the baton onto them, and when we do, we must feel that the industry will be in good hands. By all indications with the students in attendance this year, I'd say the future looks really bright."
Joyce Mitchell remembered that "NATAS Governor Wayne Freedman (SC'02) was talking with a scholarship recipient, asking her 'What is B-roll?'" She didn't know and he explained it. "Learning was exchanged; our students were embraced and left the event knowing more about TV than when they arrived," she said.
The Gold & Silver Circle Induction Luncheon could not take place without the work of many volunteers, the Board of Governors, the Gold & Silver Circle Event Committee.
Terry Lowry
chairs the
Gold & Silver Circle
Event Committee, which includes Museum Co-Chair
John Catchings
(SC '02)
, former Awards Chair
Craig Franklin
(SC '08)
, Museum Co-Chair
Linda Giannecchini
(SC '97)
, former Governor
Sharon Navratil
,
Diane Donian Paskerian
(SC '89)
, former Chapter President
Javier Valencia
(SC '12)
, Program/Events Chair
Cynthia Zeiden
(SC'15)
and Marketing Chair
Patty Zubov
.
Thanks to Governors Pat Patton and Karen Sutton for working the reception table; Photographers David Golden, Michael Moya and Ken Newberry; Abel Machado and The Big Picture for Audio/Visual Production; Taylor Mosley and The Big Picture for Scholarship Video; Videographer Steven Sanders; Parc 55 Hotel-Hilton Catering Sales Manager Jamie Furman; and PSAV Sales Manager Oliver Santos.
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GOLD & SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTION 2015
San Francisco,
Oct. 24, 2015
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Click to view and purchase photos from event
Download a photo for $6 each, discounts for more, enter coupon code at checkout
Order 2 or more images and save 10% - USE CODE NATAS10
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GOLD & SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTION 2015
NATAS Celebrates Industry's Future
Chapter Awards College Scholarships At G&SC Luncheon
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Scholarship recipients:
Lauren Knapp
, Stanford University;
Alexandra Swati Guild
, Stanford University;
Steve Shlisky
, NATAS Education Chair;
Ryan Remo Fioroni
, Berkeley City & Laney Colleges;
Courtney Wagner
, Sierra College;
Michael Cotton,
Laney College.
By Steve Shlisky
Chapter Education Committee Chairperson
Many bricks pave the way to a career of broadcast excellence. For five talented college students, their road to distinction may be smoother.
Before the induction of our newest Gold & Silver Circle inductees at an Oct. 24 luncheon in San Francisco, the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences introduced this year's scholarship recipients.
Five local students were honored for their collegiate work at the luncheon. After screening brief clips of each recipients' work (a video, edited by 2012 scholarship recipient Taylor Mosley), Chapter Education Committee Chairperson Steve Shlisky (SC '14) handed out $2,000 scholarships to
: Michael Cotton, from Laney College, recipient of the Sheldon "Shelly" Fay Videography Scholarship; Courtney Wagner, from Sacramento State University, recipient of the The Peter Marino Memorial Production Scholarship; and Alexandra Swati Guild, from Stanford University, recipient of The "Miss Nancy" Besst Memorial Graduate Scholarship.
This year's two $3,000 scholarships were graciously underwritten again by George Lang (SC '14) owner of The Big Picture Film and Video Arts. Each award is offered to memorialize Steve Davis and Jerry Jensen, who worked at KGO-TV. Jensen co-anchored the station's weekday evening newscasts from 1969 until his death in 1984; Davis was a longtime reporter for the station for 20 years, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Lang was a friend and colleague of both of them.
The
Steve Davis Memorial Undergraduate Overall Excellence Scholarship went to Ryan Remo Fioroni, from Laney College, and The Jerry Jensen Memorial Graduate Overall Excellence Scholarship was awarded to Lauren Knapp from Stanford University.
Members of the Board of Governors made special donations of nearly two dozen tickets, which allowed local college students to attend the event. Students attended from San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, Stanford University, Sierra College and De Anza and Laney community colleges. They populated the same tables of Chapter professionals, providing them a unique access to veteran broadcasters' experience.
"I was overwhelmed with excitement about being a recipient of the Sheldon Fay Memorial Videography Scholarship," says Cotton. "I was honored to be among the top media makers in the Bay Area. This event encouraged me to keep working hard to produce great content and to immerse myself in the industry."
All the recipients had admiration for the distinctive affair and were impressed by the inductees.
"
As a student it was inspiring to see those industry greats who have come before us being recognized and celebrated," Guild adds. "It definitely sets a high bar for us newcomers and encourages us to rise to the occasion."
Wagner, another scholarship recipient, was "overwhelmed by the inspirational speeches and the honor NATAS shows for these professional broadcasters."
"
It is great to be able to see people committed to their work being recognized by their colleagues after decades in the business," Knapp says. "As a documentary filmmaker at the beginning of my career, I'm inspired by those who've gone before me and given so much to develop their crafts. I hope that my work can continue to be a positive contribution to the northern California region and beyond.
"
The Stanford graduate students will use their scholarship money to fund their master's thesis films. Guild says the scholarship funds allow her to "set aside my fundraising concerns and focus my energies on the craft of storytelling."
Knapp's scholarship will partially fund an as-yet untitled short film that will explores
the role of medicine in lethal injections.
Fioroni, 18, dropped out of high school to raise his daughter as a single father. In 2013, he resumed his education, getting his GED and entering college and majoring in video production.
"This award helps me to believe in myself and to solidify the path to changing my career," Fioroni says. "It gives me the confidence in feeling like I'm now doing the right thing."
This Chapter awards these scholarships to encourage individuals who demonstrate leadership and talent in advancing the artistic, cultural, educational and technical qualities of television.
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2015
Gold & Silver Circle Sponsors
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GOLD & SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTION 2015
San Francisco,
Oct. 24, 2015
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Next|TV Summit - Dec. 1, San Francisco
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NATAS Members! Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Next|TV Summit, Dec. 1, at the Judith Morgan Ballroom, San Francisco. NATAS members will receive a discount on registration.
Seminars will be webcast to all NATAS chapters. Watch your e-mail for more information.
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New TV Industry Job Bank On NATAS Website
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The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce the launch of its new Job Bank, a free source of available job openings in the television and media industry throughout the country. Job Bank has hundreds of listings for job seekers.
The new Job Bank assists in the search for job listings in television, advertising, production, and a variety of media opportunities. Job Bank listings can be searched by Position, State or Market on the site:
jobbank.emmyonline.org
Employers in the television and media industries are invited to post job openings as a service to the members of the Academy. Find the right person to fill a job by searching resumes of professionals in all areas of television and allied media.
First-time users of Job Bank can begin posting jobs by registering at "POST A JOB" on the site.
Once registered, job listings can be entered. Please allow a 24-hour period for your registration to be approved before the postings appear.
If you have any questions or need assistance at any time, feel free to contact the Job Bank team at:
[email protected]
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NATAS Trustees Have Fall Gathering In D.C.
Observations Of How It Works By Chapter's First-Term Trustee
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By Steve Shlisky
NATAS National Trustee, San Francisco
I am a first-time national trustee of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, representing the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter.
What does that mean? Well, I do get to keep my day job.
From the National Bylaws (updated 10-17-2015):
Board of Trustees
Section 4.01 Board of Trustees
The Trustees shall represent the chapters of NATAS, and shall act on behalf of their local chapters and their local chapter members.
Each Chapter gets at least one trustee (San Francisco/Northern California is one of 19 Chapters, and there are a total of 44 national trustees).
For every 300 local members in a Chapter, one national trustee can be elected to represent that Chapter. Our Chapter recently reached more than 1,200 members, so we are allowed four national trustees. I was voted in, alongside John Odell, Linda Giannecchini and Alison Gibson. My term began July 1 and lasts for two years.
You may be aware that our Chapter is governed by a Board of Governors elected by our local members. Governors bring the wishes of members to monthly board meetings. These meetings determine the future direction of the Chapter.
Trustee members are elected by the local Board of Governors to represent the Chapter on a national level.
I recently attended a national trustees meeting in Washington, D.C. It is the second meeting of the year; the first one was held in San Diego.
Trustees meet each spring and fall in various locations across the country. The long eight-hour agenda begins with the standard Parliamentary procedure known as the "Roberts Rules of Order".
After the opening comments, introductions, approval of minutes from the previous meeting and a number of committee reports and overviews, the real work starts. Some items need a vote by the attending trustees to change the direction or policy of the Academy. Among the many items discussed were the renaming of students awards (both college and high school) to carry the "Emmy" brand, whether we should increase the number of judges for the local Emmy panels and a discussion on the handling of Spanish entries in the local chapters' Emmy competitions.
The trustees voted to call the student awards the "Student Emmys" at both the high school and college levels.
Giannecchini, who is our national awards chairperson,
moved to increase local Emmy judging panels to seven. In some cases, an individual judge scores an entry much lower or higher than the rest of the panel. This may skew the score unfairly. Adding an extra scorer would allow for the smoothing out of the final tallies. A majority of the trustees felt it would be too difficult to find the extra judges to serve. The trustees voted not to increase the panels, defeating it by a vote of 25-19 against it.
The handling of the Spanish language awards has been a struggle for a long time. Many categories now have English and Spanish entries. Chapters are faced with either empaneling separate judging panels resulting in separate recipients for each language or figuring out a way to judge all entries with a bilingual panel. Empaneling enough judges for bilingual panels has been problematic. The other option is to have two separate Emmy Galas for each language. This was not a popular option for most of the chapters. There was no motion to vote on this, so the discussion will continue into future meetings.
T
he largest topic of contention is the rewriting of our Chapter's By-Laws. By-Laws are the rules which govern the structure and functioning of the National Academy. The By-Laws need rewriting because of a change in the New York law, the state which our Academy's Certificate of Incorporation is filed. It was necessary for the trustees to go through the new By-Laws line by line. Mentored by a retained legal counsel,
National Legal Chair
David Ephraim read each changed article which the trustees discussed and then voted on. Each of the 12 articles needed to pass by a simple majority.
This process took nearly seven hours. After the last vote, the entire By-Law had to be passed by a two-thirds majority, which took two ballots to pass.
The meeting adjourned soon after the passage of the By-Laws, tabling nearly one-third of the other agenda items.
All in all, it was an exhausting but interesting process. Looking around this room, I realize that these people are volunteering, away from their jobs, family, and everyday life to come to this single purpose: to ensure that this Academy functions smoothly and effectively. I am honored to be among them and hope to be helpful.
Steve Shlisky (SC'14), in addition to serving as a national trustee for The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, serves as Education Committee Chairperson for the Academy's San Francisco/Northern California Chapter's Board of Governors. He is an editor and producer at KTVU in Oakland, where he has worked for the last 35 years. Shlisky is also a professor at Laney College in Oakland.
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Allen Waterous, 71
Announcer Was "Voice Of San Jose" At KLOK, KICU-TV
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by Rebekah Hunt
and Keith Sanders
Allen Waterous was born in Kingston, New York to Allen Sr. and Ann Waterous, the youngest of three sons. In high school he was president of the band and a member of the choir and orchestra. But it's no surprise that he reveled in music from an early age. It was in his blood. His grandfather was the world renowned Metropolitan Opera Basso, Herbert Waterous. His father was a baritone who appeared on Broadway in many Gilbert and Sullivan plays. His mother studied to be a concert pianist. 
Waterous graduated from Kingston High School in 1962 and Tampa Technical College in 1963. He studied music theory and voice for three years before beginning his broadcast career in 1965 at WBAZ radio in
Kingston. He became Program Director of
WKNY radio in 1966. Waterous married the
former
Ann Marie Luna
. They became proud parents of a daughter, Amy.
He later
worked as a disc jockey for WOLF radio where he became a local celebrity known as "Big John Allen."
Waterous and his first wife parted ways in the middle of the decade and in 1978, he moved to California where he began working for KLOK as an Operations Manager and on-air talent. He was given the nickname of "Johnny Walker."
Allen met and fell in love with Jeanette
Bartimioli
, and they were married in 1980. Eventually two daughters were welcomed into the family, Sarah and Rebekah.
After KLOK became a Spanish language
station in 1988, Waterous moved to KICU TV 36 in
San Jose where he became the Station Announcer and a Commercial Producer. Allen
loved creating jingles and commercials, writing, directing, editing, and doing voice
overs for TV and radio. For many years he was referred to as "The Voice of San
Jose," winning numerous awards for his creativity among his peers.
In the late 1990s, Waterous also became an accomplished AVID editor. He easily moved
from tape-
based to digital recording both at work and
at his home studio. He was the rare person
who possessed both
creativity and technical know how.
Former KICU Creative Director Steve Dini w
as a close friend and co-worker. "I
n the nearly 40 years I knew Allen, I can honestly say I
never saw him get angry or upset or ever be anything but kind, compassionate and
friendly," said Dini. "I had some pretty crazy ideas over the years and he greeted each one of
them with that familiar smile and warm laugh. Then, he would take that
crazy
Dini
idea, add his unique
Allen creativity and produce one gem after
another."
Former KICU Creative Director Brian Adams recalled, "I met Allen initially as a
colleague, and that working relationship
quickly became a friendship. His creative
talent
s were obvious, but perhaps less
apparent to those who didn't know him well were his deep faith, optimism, and philosophy on life that I take comfort in knowing have come to fullness."
"I remember directing dozens of commercials at KICU that Allen wrote and voiced," said former KICU Producer/Editor Keith Sanders. "He could greatly enhance
any commercial or theme week promo with
his own original music, and at times would
even bring in his talented wife Jeanette to sing."
Waterous was as dedicated to the people he
worked with as he was his work. Many of his
co-workers over the years became close family friends. His best friends from KICU formed the "Rat Pack" (pictured), and would take trips together or just hang out.
When he wasn't at work he was often found writing and playing music in his studio at home, with friends, and also at his churches throughout the years including Peninsula Christian Center, Church of the Valley and Abundant Life Foursquare church. For many years he also volunteered as a home group leader for his first church and was in several church theatre productions in addition to playing saxophone on Sundays. Some of his favorite memories were made with his church family.
In 2000, Cox Communications bought KICU and Waterous began managing their commercial productions at the station and their other West Coast station, KTVU in Oakland. He retired from broadcasting in 2010. Afterwards, he moved to Englewood, Florida.
Waterous was a talented musician and loved to sing and play music. Over time he taught himself to play guitar, piano, bass, and saxophone among others. Music was a huge part of his life and often friends would bring their instruments over to "jam" in the living room after sharing a meal. On family road trips he would join in singing and teaching his children four-part harmonics to pass the time on the way to their destinations, leaving them with enduring memories. He heard perfect pitch and time.
He is survived by his three daughters Amy Doty, Sarah Scheidler, and Rebekah Hunt; seven grandchildren; his brother Herbert, several nephews and nieces, and his two ex-wives, Ann Marie Luna and Jeanette
Bartimioli
.
"From his amazing voice to his charm to his incredible faith in the Lord and His saving grace, Allen will always be one of the finest gentleman I encountered in my 65 plus years of broadcasting, theater and traveling this earth," declared Dini. "I miss Allen, but I am looking forward to the day I walk those streets of Heaven and hear Allen's booming voice welcoming me home."
"He was, for years, the 'voice of the Bay Area,'" Adams adds. "But for me he was always the voice of reason. I miss him more than I can convey."
Allen Waterous was generous with his time, talent and treasure. He was kindhearted and loving. He could strike up a conversation and find common ground with anyone; a great storyteller, comedian, father, brother and friend. He will be dearly missed and forever remembered by the many hearts he touched.
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The Cinema Club
Chapter Movie Screenings In Bay Area Are Back;
"Becoming Bulletproof" Screened At Pixar Studios
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By Don Sanchez
Chapter Governor, San Francisco
"Roll film."
That's a phrase we hope to hear a lot more with a revitalized Cinema Club here at the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Except, of course, there is no film running through that projector. It's all digital.
And what an advantage that was for our first screening in one of the theatres at Pixar in Emeryville.
I became a Governor on our Board of Governors in July. The first thing they wanted me to do was revive the Cinema Club screenings.
I reached out to my contacts from the days when I was doing movie reviews on KGO-TV
ABC7 News with my trusty popcorn bucket (it's still on a shelf at home). Our Chapter is now partnered
with the Producers Guild of America (PGA) for screenings in showplace theaters and screening rooms here in the Bay Area.
Our first one came up on short notice, but it was rewarding for those who attended.
The film,
Becoming Bulletproof
, is a docudrama about a group of developmentally-disabled actors shooting a Western. It takes us behind the scenes.
It is heartwarming, inspirational and funny, using those terms when they really mean something.
The director calls the film "a social experiment in extreme diversity."
Becoming Bulletproof
has become a major hit on the film festival circuit.
It's just a start for the Cinema Club. More films are on the way. And sometimes, we may get short notice when a studio makes a work available to us,
so check your email.
Enjoy! And we'll see you on the aisle!
Don Sanchez (SC '00) serves as a Governor on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and heads the Chapter's Cinema Club. After nearly four decades at KGO-TV in San Francisco, Sanchez recently retired as the station's entertainment reporter. During his years there, he also served as a news anchor, reporter and sports anchor and show host.
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Gold & Silver Circle Profiles
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 You may have never heard of
David Meblin, but he was a true Bay Area television pioneer. He was one of the first to work in television in the San Francisco Bay Area, back when the new medium was just getting started.
In 1948, Meblin became one of the first employees of KPIX, the first San Francisco station to begin broadcast operations. The station went on the air for the first time on Dec. 24, 1948.
Back in those days when television was in its infancy in the United States, most Bay Area households didn't have television sets in their homes. Most people watched the Bay Area's first television station in department store windows, where TVs were on display for all to see.
Meblin was recognized for his many years in the Bay Area television industry when he was inducted into the
Gold Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2002.
As an advertising executive for the station at that time, Meblin was a whiz at what he did. He
 successfully convinced a furniture store, Sterling Furniture in San Francisco, to sponsor a test pattern. KPIX was just starting out, of course, and not all of its broadcast day was filled with programming. In fact, early on, only a few hours of programming aired on KPIX. The rest of the day, the station put up the test pattern, which would remain on TV screens until programming would resume.
In later years, Meblin went to work for KGO-TV, followed by a stint at Avery-Knodel, Inc., an advertising firm.
Nearly 30 years after launching his television career, Meblin founded a company, Mighty Minute Productions. Beginning in 1975 with his company, Meblin began syndicating bite-size feature packages to air on television newscasts. Undoubtedly his two most well-known became clients became
Joe Carcione, who appeared as "The Green Grocer" on stations around the country, including KGO-TV, and Dr.
Dean Edell
(SC '09), who provided health and medical reports for KGO-TV and for stations coast-to-coast.
Michael Marks was another client of Meblin's; Marks was known as "The Produce Man".
 Meblin was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1911. The son of Russian immigrants, Meblin graduated from the University of North Dakota. He served with the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. He and his wife,
Margo, moved to San Francisco in 1946. In later years, they lived in Ladera, near Portola Valley.
Margo Meblin died in 1997. When David Meblin passed away in 2005 at the age of 94, a part of the Bay Area's early television heritage went with him.
He was, indeed, one of our true television pioneers.
Next month in Gold & Silver Circle Profiles: A very special interview with
Lee Mendelson, a 1988
Silver Circle inductee who was inducted Oct. 24 into the
Gold Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Kevin Wing (SC '13) is a San Francisco-based producer for ABC News' "Good Morning America", is editor of "Off Camera" and serves as San Francisco vice president on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Inducted into the Chapter's Silver Circle in 2013, he has been penning "Gold & Silver Circle Profiles" since 2007.
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And Baby Makes Four... And A Move To L.A.
KFSN's Stephanie Stone Leaving Station, Heads South
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Stephanie and
Jacob welcome
Gavin Jacob, born in July. He's now 3 months with
Mia Savanna, 19 months.
By Kim Stephens
Chapter Vice President, Fresno
A big congratulations to former Fresno NATAS Board Member, Stephanie Stone from KFSN ABC30. She just gave birth to her second child and is in the process of moving to Los Angeles.
Stone admits moving with two young children is not a thrill but she's doing it for her family. Her husband works in Los Angeles and has been commuting over the Grapevine on I-5 for nearly 10 months.
"We ultimately decided, while we love Fresno and our friends here, family has to come first," Stone says. "And these years when they're little are so precious."
Stone says she plans to work in Los Angeles, but isn't quite sure where yet.
"I'm excited for the new opportunity," she says. "Not excited to physically move, but who is?!"
Thank you, Stephanie Stone, for your enthusiasm on the board and with your help in the Fresno area. We wish you success!
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On the Move
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Sherae Honeycutt, associate producer at KRON in San Francisco, joins KFVS in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as a multimedia journalist. A 2015 graduate of San Francisco State University, Honeycutt is also a 2013 NATAS Scholarship recipient.
Have a new job? Got a promotion? Retiring? We'd like to know about it. Please write to
On the Move and
Off Camera Editor
Kevin Wing at [email protected].
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Our People
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An Eye For Storytelling
Randy Davis comes from a storied Bay Area television news family. His father was Steve Davis, a well-known, very talented anchor and reporter at San Francisco's KGO-TV from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. For more than 30 years, the younger Davis has been securing his place in the industry as an equally well-known and very talented photojournalist for the station his father began working for more than four decades ago. Like his father before him, Randy has become one of the Bay Area's best journalists. He has an eye for what looks best for any kind of story. And, like his Dad, he has gained the respect of his peers, out in the field and in the newsroom.
PHOTOGRAPHY: WAYNE FREEDMAN/NATAS
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Do You Remember?
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Do you remember two-inch video tape?
Who is the executive showing off the new equipment?
What is the make and model number of the equipment?
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Last month we asked you to name this anchor team
and the station they worked for?
Dick Cable
(Silver Circle Class of 1991)
and
Chris Harris, KXTV News 10, Sacramento
If you know the answer to this month's
Do You Remember?, please write to
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Write Us! Off Camera Wants to Hear From You!
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Off Camera always wants to hear from you. Have a great story idea? Interested in writing a story for us? Want to tell us how we're doing? Whatever it may be, please feel free to drop us a line.
Thank you!
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The Board of Governors
S
AN FRANCISCO/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES
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OFFICERS
President:
Keith Sanders,
San Jose
State University
Vice President-
San Francisco:
Kevin Wing*,
ABC-TV Good
Morning America
Vice President-Sacramento:
Cynthia Zeiden*,
Zeiden
Media
Vice President-
Fresno:
Kim Stephens*,
KMPH Fox 26
Vice President-
Hawaii:
Pamela Young*,
KITV 4
Vice President-
Reno:
Terri Russell,
KOLO 8
Vice President-
Smaller Markets:
(Vacant)
Secretary:
Randy Forsman,
KCRA 3
Treasurer:
Jim Spalding,
Spalding & Company
Past President:
Javier Valencia*,
Consultant
NATIONAL TRUSTEES
Linda Giannecchini*,
KQED 9
(National Awards Chair)
Alison Gibson,
Media Cool
(National 2nd Vice Chairperson)
John Odell*,
CCSF Emeritus
Steve Shlisky*,
KTVU Fox 2
Alternate: Kevin Wing*,
ABC-TV Good Morning America
GOVERNORS
Kent Beichley,
KRON 4
Alyssa Deitsch,
KHSL/KNVN
Wayne Freedman*,
KGO-TV ABC7
Luis Godinez,
KDTV Univision 14
Richard Harmelink,
KFSN ABC30
(Nominating Chair)
Pablo Icub,
KUVS Univision 19
Brian Johnson,
KFSN ABC30
Sean Karlin,
Beyond Pix Studios
George Lang*,
The Big Picture
Da Lin,
KPIX 5
Terry Lowry*,
LaCosse Productions
(Gold & Silver Circle Chair)
Melissa Mapes,
KITV 4
Joyce Mitchell*,
4 U Productions
David Paredes,
KNTV NBC Bay Area
Pat Patton,
Consultant
Ross Perich,
ProMotion Studios
Manny Ramos*,
Manny Ramos Communications
Erik Rosales,
KMPH FOX 26
Brenda Salgado,
KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now
Don Sanchez*,
KGO-TV ABC7 (Retired)
Matt Skryja,
CSAA
Stephanie Stone,
KFSN ABC30
Karen Sutton,
Independent
(Emmy Gala Chair)
Melanie Woodrow,
KGO-TV ABC7
Noemi Zeigler Sanchez, Laney College
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Activities/Programs:
Cynthia Zeiden*,
Zeiden Media
Archives/Museum:
John Catchings*,
Catchings & Associates
Linda Giannecchini*,
KQED 9
Awards:
Julie Watts,
KPIX 5
Education:
Steve Shlisky*,
KTVU Fox 2
Finance:
Alison Gibson,
Media Cool
Legal/Bylaws:
Mark Pearson,
ARC Law Group
Membership:
(Vacant)
Marketing:
Patty Zubov,
Platonic TV
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Darryl R. Compton*,
NATAS
* Member of the Silver Circle
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Contact Information:
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
San Francisco/Northern California Chapter
Darryl Compton, Executive Director
4317 Camden Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403-5007
Phone: 650 341-7786 or 415 777-0212
Fax: 650 372-0279
[email protected]
The name "Emmy®" and the graphic image of the statuette, are registered trademarks of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
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