The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Launches New Web Portal Showcasing...

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Launches New Web Portal
Showcasing Television's Greatest Stories at EmmyTVLegends.org
Free Web Video Portal is Ready for Prime Time with Not-to-be-Missed Moments
with More Than 600 TV Legends Including Alan Alda, Walter Cronkite, Michael J.
Fox, Ron Howard, Leonard Nimoy, Regis Philbin, Tim Russert, Barbara Walters,
Betty White and Henry Winkler

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences Foundation has launched EmmyTVLegends.org, a new web video portal
offering free, public access to the Archive of American Television, the most
comprehensive videotaped interview collection of its kind. It features
revealing conversations with more than 600 influential figures that have
shaped the television industry from its inception to present day, and includes
little-known anecdotes, unique perspectives, and eyewitness accounts from top
names in TV.

This ambitious, new website has been more than a decade in the making. Since
1996, the Archive has conducted in-depth interviews with television's biggest
stars, industry legends, and crucial behind-the-scenes players who make
television magic. In 2005, the Archive began to release the interviews online
to the public, but until now there was no easy way to search and navigate the
footage.

At launch, visitors to the beta site at EmmyTVLegends.org will find an
abundance of video footage that will delight any TV fan. Candid, surprising,
heartfelt and hilarious stories are now instantly and easily accessible to
anyone online. Visitors can now enjoy such footage as:

-- TV legend Mary Tyler Moore recalling what her comedic hero, Lucille
Ball, told her one day on the set of "The Dick Van Dyke Show,"
and why it was the most rewarding moment of her career (Mary Tyler
Moore, 1997)
-- Phylicia Rashad revealing that Nelson Mandela credits "The Cosby
Show" for easing tensions with his prison guard (Phylicia Rashad,
2007)
-- Recently departed news legend Walter Cronkite relating the difficulty
of
deciding to publicly and personally express his disillusionment about
the Vietnam War on his newscast (Walter Cronkite, 1998)

-- Current Emmy(R) Award nominees such as Betty White, Alan Alda, William
Shatner and others speaking at unprecedented length about their
careers
in television


"We always envisioned the Archive of American Television as a free, dynamic,
and accessible resource for anyone who loves the medium of television," said
Television Academy Foundation Chairman Jerry Petry. "EmmyTVLegends.org is a
fascinating destination, serving up great stories and career reminiscences
about your favorite television stars and programs, as well as all the drama,
comedy, and twists of fate that created this medium and continue to shape it
today."

Interviews on the site have been meticulously indexed and tagged, edited into
segments, summarized and cross-referenced to ease navigation and encourage
discovery. The portal's advanced search functionality enables researchers to
find exactly what they are looking for, while suggested content links help
curious users get the most out of the collection. Each entry features
background information and links to additional resources, including complete
episodes of select series. All content on the site is easily shared across
popular social media sites. The portal is complemented by the Foundation's
existing social media platforms including a blog, Twitter and Facebook.

"Television has produced some of the most talented people in this country, and
it's about time that the TV industry had its own archive," said multiple Emmy
Award winner and Archive interviewee Regis Philbin.
EmmyTVLegends.org launches today in beta with more than 100 interviews,
including Alan Alda, Steven Bochco, Ed Bradley, "I Love Lucy" writers Bob
Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis, set designer Roy Christopher, Walter
Cronkite, Sam Donaldson, Michael J. Fox, Larry Gelbart, Sharon Gless, Sherman
Hemsley, Ron Howard, Norman Lear, fashion designer Bob Mackie, "Sesame
Street's" Sonia Manzano, Leonard Nimoy, Carroll O'Connor, Regis Philbin,
Phylicia Rashad, Tim Russert, producer Jay Sandrich, television executive and
producer Fred Silverman, Lesley Stahl, Jean Stapleton, Barbara Walters, and
Henry Winkler.

Earlier this year, the Academy Foundation selected Mochila, a premium content
syndication technology platform and network, to design the Archive as an
accessible web portal. Mochila provided all website design and custom
development that allows users to view the thousands of hours of content in
short- and long-form segments.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation is dedicated to utilizing the
resources of the Television Academy and the artistry of television to preserve
and celebrate the history of the medium, while educating and guiding those who
will shape its future. The Foundation is responsible for the Archive of
American Television, as well as education programs such as the College
Television Awards and its renowned student internship program. For more
information on the Foundation, the Television Academy and its many
industry-related programs, services and year-round Academy events, please
visit EmmyTVLegends.org.