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2 News Agencies win 2 Telly Awards for a Production of 
One Great Glendale Fire Prevention Parade!

Glendale Fire Department Fire Prevention Parade Extravaganza 
Documented by 2 Media Sources Netting 2 Telly Awards.

(Glendale AZ) Elizabeth Jackman, staff writer and photographer, from the Glendale Star Newspaper and Ed Sharpe director of CouryGraph Productions, who oversees The Glendale Daily Planet - KKAT Streaming TV, Glendale's homegrown Internet video news source, received two 2008 Telly Awards as recognition of their joint project on the 25th Annual Fire Prevention Day Parade.

Sharpe and Jackman received the two Bronze Awards for a 16 minute movie documenting the 25th Annual Fire Prevention Day Parade. This project was a unique joint venture between two media sources with Jackman doing the still photography and Sharpe applied a 'Ken Burns" technique to animate the still photos and render them into a movie file to present on the Glendale Daily Planet. The two categories this presentation earned honors in was news and also live event documentation.
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The Telly Awards receives in excess of 14,000 entries each year from 50 states and foreign countries.
　
"It is honor to receive a highly respected national award for work in publicizing events that take place in the city of Glendale," Sharpe said. "The Telly awards highlight the high standards of excellence we wish to achieve. In addition, it is our wish to provide our viewership with information they can trust and enjoy."
　
When it comes to documenting public safety, Sharpe and Jackman and other media outlet reporters can be seen gathering facts and documenting the scene in photographs and video. Yes, it is a job but the sense of thrill and excitement certainly keeps things interesting.
　
"Going to a parade and taking photos is a lot of fun, and to win a Telly award for doing it is just amazing," Jackman said. "Thanks to the excellent work of Ed Sharpe of CouryGraph Productions putting my photos to music not only allows others to enjoy the same parade I saw, but helps promote the Glendale Fire Department's important message, to have an escape plan from your home in case of a fire and make sure the family knows and practices it."

　　
Glendale is one of the few cities in Arizona that treats its citizens to a Fire Prevention extravaganza as we witnessed. Each year the parade represents the beginning of National Fire Prevention Week. Participation in the parade line up and the throngs that congregate at the sidelines seems to increase every year.

“The Glendale Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Parade has been a great tradition carried out by the Fire Department, the City and the Community,” said Glendale Fire Chief Mark Burdick. “It’s great to know this important event was the topic of some very exciting awards given to some very deserving people such as Ed Sharpe of the Glendale Dailey Planet and Elizabeth Jackman of the Glendale Star Newspaper. The Glendale Fire Department congratulates them both,” Chief Burdick continued.

Sharpe said "It is always fun to scoop another publication when you are out covering the news but there are times that everyone benefits when media sources work together as a team. There is no better time for teamwork than to help celebrate the work of our hometown Heroes in public safety."

Glendale Star publisher Bill Toops stated “As an advocate for the public’s health, safety and welfare, we are honored to support, promote and partner with the finest fire department in the country,” he added “It is an additional honor to be recognized for the collaborative efforts of two small, but dedicated news agencies that truly value their community above all else. This project allowed each of us to extend the reach of our respective audience and readership to further enhance and more effectively advance the importance of family fire safety in our city. We sincerely appreciate such professional acknowledgement and look forward to more opportunities in the future,” Toops concluded.
　

About CouryGraph Productions / Glendale Daily Planet / KKAT-IPTV in Glendale, AZ

Glendale Daily Planet, the parent organization of KKAT-IPTV was started in 2004 as the first community journalism news site in Glendale and perhaps all of Arizona... Serving The Metro West Side of the Valley of the Sun, Glendale Daily Planet has witnessed, participated in and recorded the further rejuvenation of the downtown core, the meteoric rise of the 'Glendale Sports Empire' and the restoration of historic sections of the town.

One aspect Sharpe is most proud of is the ability to have a continuous 24/7 stream of archived footage in the player but yet, when a special event arises, have the ability to go live interrupting the pre-programmed content to cover the event. With the advent of higher speed EVDO radio cards and compact portable satellite terminals the options are limitless.

About The Glendale Star:
Published weekly since 1978, The Glendale Star is owned and operated exclusively by Pueblo Publishers, Inc. The Star is recognized as the official newspaper of record for the City of Glendale, Arizona. The Glendale Star is an active member of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, Western Maricopa Coalition (WESTMARC), and the Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA). Pueblo Publishers, Inc. is an independent, locally owned and operated, full service, offset newspaper publishing and commercial printing corporation. 


About the Telly Awards
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest film and video productions, and groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.