Daytime Emmys Consider Combining Younger Actor and Actress Awards

Kyle Pettis accepts the younger actor award at the 2019 Daytime Emmys.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is discussing the possibility that the Daytime Emmy Awards will combine its outstanding younger actor and actress categories into one, according to a report in Variety.

The organization already has a guest performer category that combines both genders. Now, the Daytime Emmys is looking at single young performer category, open to all. As part of the change, the newly merged category would also combine broadcast drama and digital drama performers in the same category.

The categories for younger actor in a drama series and younger actress in a drama series were first presented in 1985 when there were many more daytime soap operas in production. With just four major network soaps remaining, it may make sense to combine the younger performer categories into one (or eliminate it altogether).

The consideration of this change was discussed at an Academy advisory meeting last week. No final consensus was reached in the room, according to NATAS CEO Adam Sharp. Final decisions on categories and criteria will be announced when the call for the next Daytime Emmy entries go out in the fall.

In the past, the Daytime Emmy awards for younger actor and younger actress in a drama series have recognized the work of the performers age 25 and under. This year’s winners in the categories were Hayley Erin (ex-Kiki, General Hospital) for younger actress in a drama series, and Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo, Days of our Lives) for younger actor in a drama series.

NATAS Shakes Up Daytime Emmys Leadership

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) — the East Coast counterpart to the Los Angeles-based Television Academy — is shuffling its leadership, which includes switching who oversees production of its most visible event, the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Under the reorganization, one executive will now oversee the production of all of NATAS' key awards shows, including the Daytime Emmys, which will be separate from the administration of those awards. Steve Ulrich has now been elevated senior vice president, production and events, a newly-created position in which he will handle the planning and production of the Daytime, Sports, News & Documentary, and Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards ceremonies, plus the National Student Production Awards and other events.

For the Daytime Emmys, that means David Michaels, who has served as senior vice president of the Daytime Emmys and Events, as well as executive producer of the Daytime Emmys, is departing. Michaels had been in that role for the last five years. Michaels was in the front row at this year's Indie Series Awards when an "argument" between hosts Patrika Darbo, Eric Martsolf and Kevin Spirtas was interrupted by the announcer, who mocked, "Stop! Will you guys grow up? We are a fair awards show – civil and transparent. What do you think this is? The Daytime Emmys?" Watch below.

Adam Sharp Appointed President and CEO of NATAS

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and its Board of Trustees announced today that Adam Sharp, former Head of News, Government and Elections at Twitter, has been appointed President & CEO of the organization. Mr. Sharp, who has had a distinguished career with stints at NBC and C-SPAN, has been working as the Academy's Interim President & CEO since February, 2018. He will lead the organization's operations including sales, promotion, marketing, financial management and planning of its various Emmy Award programs.

“Adam Sharp's story is truly a unique story of success,” said Terry O'Reilly, Chairman, NATAS. “Adam's career in media began when he was awarded one of our very first National Scholarships, in 1996. In the two-plus decades that have passed - through Adam's years with NBC News and C-SPAN, his tenure as Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA), and his role as Head of News, Government and Elections at Twitter - Adam developed the personal and professional acumen that makes him the ideal candidate to guide our iconic organization. I couldn't be more pleased by his appointment.”

Daytime Television at the Smithsonian on WE LOVE SOAPS TV -- Susan Lucci, Alex Trebek, Phil & Kathy Baker, John Gray and Malachy G. Wienges

Photo Credit: Neshan Naltchayan, courtesy and copyright NATAS

On May 9, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. added artifacts that reflect the contributions of daytime television programming to the national entertainment collection in a special ceremony to mark a new partnership with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Three-time Indie Soap Award winner Anthony Anderson from ANACASTIA covered the event WE LOVE SOAPS TV.

The donations--from ALL MY CHILDREN actress Susan Lucci, JEOPARDY! host Alex Trebek and BARNEY creators Kathy and Phil Parker—represented three of the primary Daytime Entertainment Emmy categories—daytime dramas, game shows and children’s programming.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV spoke to all the contributors as well as museum director, John Gray, as well as NATAS chairman Malachy G. Wienges. Wienges told us The OnLine Network's ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE would be eligible for the 2014 Daytime Emmy Awards.

"Those two shows will fall into the normal soap opera categories," Wienges said. "It makes no difference what the genre is."

Check out the latest episode of our web series WE LOVE SOAPS TV below to hear on the scene reaction. Plus, Susan Lucci reveals more about her character on the upcoming primetime soap opera DEVIOUS MAIDS and a possible return to ALL MY CHILDREN.

"I hope so," Lucci told us about the chances of her bringing Erica Kane to the new ALL MY CHILDREN. "I'm trying, and they are trying.  There's a lot to work out simply because when they went into production I was in Atlanta working on the Marc Cherry series, DEVIOUS MAIDS.  And now we're about to start Season 2 on my Investigation Discovery series, DEADLY AFFAIRS next week in New York.  So that's a lot of complicated scheduling.  Plus, ALL MY CHILDREN's schedule is also complicated and challenging because they work five weeks on and five weeks off.  So trying to marry those two things, that's what the challenge is and that's what we're going to try to make happen."

Speaking of DEVIOUS MAIDS, Lucci told us she loves how her character's name, Genevieve Delatour, is pronounced and gave us some insights about her role in the Lifetime series.

Daytime Television Gets Primetime Spot at Smithsonian: Susan Lucci, Alex Trebek & Barney Objects Added to Collections

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History today adds artifacts that reflect the contributions of daytime television programming to the national entertainment collection in a special ceremony to mark a new partnership with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. And WE LOVE SOAPS TV is on the scene in D.C. The donations--from ALL MY CHILDREN actress Susan Lucci, JEOPARDY! host Alex Trebek and BARNEY creators Kathy and Phil Parker—represent three of the primary Daytime Entertainment Emmy categories—daytime dramas, game shows and children’s programming.

The objects range from show scripts and original art to set props and other memorabilia, including a pink gown and shoes worn by Lucci when she appeared on a national magazine cover after winning her 1999 Daytime Emmy, a 1984 JEOPARDY! script with handwritten notes by Trebek and a script from the first video to be released in the BARNEY & THE BACKYARD GANG series along with a plush toy of the purple dinosaur. Today’s ceremony officially launches a three-year collecting initiative by the museum in partnership with NATAS to help the museum expand its capacity to tell the story of daytime television and the Daytime Emmys.

40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards Will Be Held On June 14

On Thursday, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced that the 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be held on Friday, June 14, 2013 at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown, Los Angeles, CA. The Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards honors the crafts behind the many shows that grace the Daytime genre.

"Just as this year's broadcast will be a major 40th Anniversary celebration, so will our evening of honoring the Daytime Creative Arts nominees," said David Michaels, Senior Executive Director, Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards. "We are planning a 'grand gala' event this year for Creative Arts to honor the incredibly talented 'unsung heroes' behind the scenes without whom there would be no Daytime television shows on the air."

Smithsonian Partners With The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has entered into a partnership with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) in order to obtain costumes, scripts, props, awards, photographs, promotional material and other memorabilia that reflects the contributions of daytime television programming to the national collections.

NATAS will work with the museum to identify actors, writers, talk show hosts, game show hosts, journalists, producers, directors and others who have influenced America's cultural identity and extended that culture to global audiences. The partnership will help the museum expand its capacity to tell the unique story of daytime television and the Daytime Emmy® Awards.

HYBRID EMMYS: NATAS Considers New Emmy Awards Show Combining Daytime, Sports, and News & Docs

A new, televised award show that would combine elements of the Daytime Emmys, Sports Emmys and News & Documentary Emmys is in discussion at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The hybrid event would launch no sooner than three or four years from now, NATAS chairman Malachy Wienges told Variety on Monday, and would not replace any of the existing awards shows — but would seek to draw upon the added star power that the news and sports events provide.