New York Festivals

Sammy Choi - Choi Boy Productions

Giles Trendle - Al Jazeera 

From Journalism to Entertainment, Content is King

New York, NY – October 1, 2018:  New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards competition announced the addition of Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English Channel and Sammy Choi, Executive Producer for Choi Boy Productions to the NYF TV & Film Advisory board and Grand Jury.

“With Giles Trendle and Sammy Choi, our Advisory Board benefits from the perspectives of two more prominent broadcasters, lending a not only a global diversity but also a hands-on knowledge of the multiple formats and platforms that are engaging audiences around the world. As award-winning industry leaders, they understand the elements that go into creating compelling award-winning nonfiction content,” said Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director.

At the 2018 NYF TV & Film Awards, Al Jazeera English earned Broadcaster of the Year Award for the second year in row, in addition multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for their investigative reporting and documentaries.

Giles Trendle brings his vast journalistic storytelling knowledge to NYF’s Advisory Board. As Managing Director of Al Jazeera English Channel, Giles oversees an editorial staff of over 400 people based in its centers of Doha, London, Washington DC and Kuala Lumpur, as well as in over 70 bureaus around the world. Giles first joined Al Jazeera in 2004 to work on the Arabic channel's flagship investigative documentary show before moving to Al Jazeera English ahead of its launch in 2006. He began his career in the mid 1980’s as a freelance print journalist based in Lebanon covering that country’s civil war. Al Jazeera English produces 24/7 news and current affairs programming for a worldwide TV audience of over 315 million households and mobile content for global digital consumers.

Giles had this to say about the challenges facing today’s journalists. “Freedom of the media is a crucial foundation to a society that aims to be progressive, inclusive and open. It is deeply concerning that we seem to be witnessing an increasing number of attacks on the media around the world. Both the practitioners and the profession are under fire like never before. Journalists are being intimidated, detained, imprisoned and murdered. Meanwhile many in power seek to delegitimise credible journalism by invoking the phrase ‘fake news’ while others cynically seek to conflate journalism with terrorism,” said Giles.

“In these challenging times, as journalists we hold firm to the mission that media freedom is something worth fighting for.”

Sammy Choi brings decades of sports and entertainment production expertise to the Advisory Board, starting his career in entertainment by being featured on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden during a NY Rangers game.  A curious Choi randomly went up to a camera director after that fan shot and was able to secure an interview with a top Garden executive. From that chance encounter, he went on to become the Game Director for the NY Rangers overseeing all the arena entertainment.  Notably, he produced Wayne Gretzky's last game and retirement ceremony.  In 2000, Sammy became the NHL Director of Events and Entertainment and produced all their events including: NHL All-Star Game, Stanley Cup Finals, NHL Entry Draft, and NHL International Games.  Later in 2005, Sammy transitioned over to the NFL into the role of Executive Producer and Director of NFL Events. For over a decade, he produced the entertainment and pageantry at all NFL events including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL International Series, NFL Draft, and NFL Kickoff.  In his most recent role at Vevo as the Senior Director of Music and Talent, he was responsible for booking and producing original content with some of the biggest musical artist in the world including: The Weeknd, SZA, Future, Kendrick Lamar, Luke Bryan, Depeche Mode, Khalid, Def Leppard, French Montana, Halsey, Little Big Town, and DJ Khaled.

Sammy had this to say about the importance of storytelling in a world where content is king and platforms are robust. “Whether it’s a long form feature or social media post, storytelling is still the reason the audiences want to consume your content. I believe there is no timeframe for telling a story and sometimes a simple IG story or Snapchat post can say as much as a traditional video spot or vignette, said Sammy. “A good story still fascinates and engages us!”

The deadline to enter the 2019 Television & Film Awards competition is October 15, 2018. Entry details and competition rules and regulations can be found on the NYF Television & Film Awards website www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/. To view the complete list of categories, please click: Here

All Entries in the 2019 competition will be judged online and screened by New York Festivals Television & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200 plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Nominated Finalists are judged by a selected panel at the United Nations for the UNDPI Awards. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the NYF Television & Film Awards website. To View the 2018 TV & Film Awards winning entries please visit: https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/2018/ and to see the gala recap visit: https://vimeo.com/281315812.

Press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@newyorkfestivals.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800.

About New York Festivals

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About NAB Show: NAB Show, held April 6 - 11, 2019, in Las Vegas, NV, USA, is the world's largest and most comprehensive convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. With nearly 100,000 attendees from 165 countries and 1,700+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and fuel the digital storytelling economy. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways.

About NAB: The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.