Producer Tom Gregory calls St. Tammany “A Magical Place”
The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced its 36th Annual Emmy nominations on October 17th, and the ‘Go Coast: Louisiana – The Northshore’ episode received a nomination for the Best Magazine Program. The program’s host, Tom Gregory, was also nominated for Best On-Camera Talent – Performer/Narrator.
The Emmy-nominated episode featuring St. Tammany Parish was the first to air in the 12-part TV travel series ‘Go Coast: Louisiana’ on WLAE-TV. The series was designed for a national audience and with the intent of restoring the image of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast and increasing tourism post-BP oil spill. The series was produced by Gregory, developed by LAE Productions, and funded by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and the Louisiana Tourism Coastal Coalition.
Over several days of filming, the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission worked closely with Gregory to highlight many of the charms, attractions, and personalities of the Northshore. The hospitality was appreciated by Gregory, who said, “Everyone at the commission was so helpful and a joy to work with, and there were so many wonderful things to discover we could have done three shows! We had so much fun and that really came through in the episode. St. Tammany Parish is a magical place.”
In the Northshore episode, Gregory fished with celebrity chef John Besh and charter captain Dudley Vandenboore and then watched the catch be prepared in the kitchen of La Provence. Amanda Shaw fiddled on the Mandeville lakefront and accompanied Gregory to Global Wildlife Center, where they fed a family of giraffes. Music featured prominently in the segment, with Don Vappie performing at Pontchartrain Vineyards’ (Now Wild Bush Farm & Vineyard) Jazz’n’the Vines and The Grayhawk Band and the late Coco Robicheaux playing at Ruby’s Roadhouse.
Gregory and fellow nominees from the ‘Go Coast: Louisiana – The Northshore’ episode, Eric Carle and Carolina Loreto, are competing for the annual Suncoast Emmy for excellence in television with markets in the entire State of Florida, Louisiana markets including Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and New Orleans, Mobile, Alabama, Thomasville, Georgia and Puerto Rico. The 36th Annual Suncoast Emmy Awards ceremony will take place Saturday, December 1, 2012 at The Westin Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.
You can watch the ‘Go Coast: Louisiana – The Northshore’ episode on Monday, October 29th when it premieres statewide on Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) at 9:00PM. For more information on the ‘Go Coast: Louisiana’ series, visit www.gocoast.tv. For a complete listing of nominees, visit suncoastchapter.org. For more information on the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission, visit louisiananorthshore.com.
