By Producer Alex
Live at the Cutler Majestic Theater at Emerson College, the band of brothers known as Prime Time Sports Talk marched up to the stage to accept an EVVY Award for Outstanding Radio News Program.
Whew, that’s a lot. Now let me tell you the raw, unfiltered version of what happened.
A few minutes before the award was set to be given, our main host and this site’s CEO Sam Gordon leaned over to me and asked if I was nervous. Now, the answer was “Yes,” but I’m a cool radio guy, dressed to impress and looking to win some hardware, so that answer was unacceptable. So I told him no.
After all, I explained calmly, the winners had already been decided a while ago and no amount of worrying was going to change that. Nonetheless, I exhaled deeply and watched the cameraman closely. As the nominees were listed, the cameraman — we’ll call him Will, because that’s his name — was in our vicinity.
Then he picked up the camera and pointed it at the wonderful, talented Kate Bell, who was seated right near me, and who was also nominated in that category. I said to my mother, “She’s gonna win, see the cameraman?”
But then Will swiveled towards Sam.
And then we won.
So Sam, co-producer Jack Aylmer, and I sauntered up to the stage. I gave Will a thumbs-up because we used to work together (but I doubt he remembers me). Our third co-host, Nate Rollins, couldn’t be there because he’s a busy man who works the Earlier rth for his daily bread — or something like that, I think he’s a landscaper in the summer…
Anyways: up on stage, shaking hands and taking awards. I don’t remember anything Sam said because I was too busy miming in the background. I said nothing except “Keep it together, Sam!” Not my finest moment on television, but hey, I look better on the radio anyways.
Then we got hustled backstage — Sam went the wrong way at first so we corralled him and carried on.
We got to take some pictures as winners against a cool EVVYs backdrop, and then we got herded right back down the hallway we came from. Jack took the lead, and led us right down a staircase that ended up being the wrong way. I suggested we try upstairs instead, just hoping to get back to the theatre, but a crew member said that was wrong too, and guided us back on track.
And then my phone blew up (metaphorically of course, it’s not a Galaxy Note 7). A couple way-to-go and atta-boys, and a nice hug from my mother, without whom, of course, I wouldn’t be here. Like literally, wouldn’t be here, on the Earth. Just saying that because it’s Mother’s Day soon, and I still haven’t bought a gift.
And lastly, Sam took off into the night with the award, because God forbid he had to watch another ghastly performance of oppressed college kids dancing and pretending that dancing is an employable skill. Lucky guy, I stayed ’til the end.
But anyways, Prime Time Sports Talk won an EVVY. So we’re big and important and serious now, guys.
Which probably means they’ll have to cancel this column pretty soon.
