Emmy Awards

The Emmy Awards are presented by three separate, but related, organizations. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), which was founded in 1946, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS). The ceremony honors television actors, writers, producers, directors and more, with the Creative Arts Emmys recognizing below the line work the weekend before the Primetime Emmys, which rotate across CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC as each network takes turns putting on the broadcast of the ceremony.

The Television Academy (ATAS) covers all things primetime, and it was founded in 1946. It is made up of over 25,000 members representing 31 professional peer groups from directors to technicians, executives and more. The nonprofit organization aims to promote creativity, diversity, innovation and excellence as well as the advancement of television and broadband screen entertainment.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, founded in 1957, covers daytime television, sports, news and documentaries. The NATAS operates independently of the Television Academy in Los Angeles, and it is made up of television professionals from twenty regional chapters. Each chapter holds regional awards for non-national programming.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences covers all things international. The IATAS is the world’s largest organization of global broadcasters, with a board of directors comprised of representatives from over fifty countries. Sixty of the 100 directors on the board are from countries other than the United States. The International Academy was founded in 1969.

A Primetime Emmy Award represents peer recognition from the Television Academy members, each of whom casts a ballot for the category in their field of specialization. It awards International Emmys to the best television programs produced outside the United States. Every November, The International Academy produces the iEMMYs Festival and the International Emmy Awards Gala in New York City.
The first Emmy Awards ceremony idea was conceived in 1948. Founder of the Television Academy Sid Cassyd suggested the name “Ike” for the trophy after the television iconoscope tube. Engineer and future Academy president (1949) Harry Lubcke suggested “Immy” after the image-orthicon camera tube that played a significant role in the development of television. “Immy” was then feminized as “Emmy” because the statuette, designed by Louis McManus whose wife Dorothy modeled for it, depicts the winged “muse of art uplifting the electron of science.” The first ceremony was held in 1949 on January 25 at the Hollywood Athletic Club and hosted by Walter O’Keefe with $5.00 tickets and six awards handed out — Most Outstanding TV Personality, Station Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement, Technical Award, Best Film Made for TV, Most Popular TV Program and a special Emmy given to McManus for designing the statuette.