The Martin Agency won the agency’s first-ever Emmy Award, for the “Clouds Over Cuba” project on behalf of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. The 34th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony was held in Manhattan on October 1 by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
The Emmy was awarded to Martin and its partner on the “Cuba” project, Tool of North America, in the category of New Approaches: Documentaries. Other finalists in the category included CNN, The New York Times and UNC Chapel Hill.
“To be on the same stage as some of the most courageous and talented journalists in the world is absolutely humbling,” said Joe Alexander, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency. “JFK really believed in the power of innovation. So, this project continues our mission to extend and preserve JFK’s legacy through technology, especially the convergence of digital, mobile and film. The lessons we learned on ‘Clouds Over Cuba’ will pay dividends for our clients and our agency for years to come.”
The JFK Presidential Library & Museum has brought history to life in new ways, inspiring a new generation of followers through a handful of interactive exhibits. From inviting people around the world to join in redelivering Kennedy’s inaugural speech, to recreating the landing on the moon 40 years later in real-time and developing a site powered by Twitter that allowed the world to pay tribute to American icon Neil Armstrong, The Martin Agency and The JFK Library have a history of producing award-winning exhibits together for the past 19 years. The latest project, Clouds Over Cuba, allows the world to rediscover the Cuban Missile Crisis through an interactive documentary as well as four “What If” scenarios, depicting how modern day would be different if Kennedy had taken America to war with Russia.
This Emmy Award joins a library of distinguished achievements for “Clouds Over Cuba” in 2013, including recognition from D&AD, The One Show, The CLIO Awards, Art Directors Club, Webby Awards and 11 Lions from the Cannes Film Festival.
Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”
Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.
This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.
The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.
"Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.
"Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.
Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More