Television producer Robert Van Camp received three Emmy Awards at the National Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Midsouth Region ceremony in Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Out of nine nominations, Van Camp was awarded three -- for photographer, video editor and writer/producer -- for a promotional spot. The awards are in the Advanced Media category, which was offered by the Academy for the first time this year. The spot can be viewed at www.gsrj.com and is used by PBS stations nationwide to promote “Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways,” Van Camp’s full-length documentary. The full show, which is being shown on PBS stations nationwide, will next air on UNC-TV on Feb. 23 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the station’s fund-raising “Festival.” Van Camp will appear live on air during breaks in the show.

“Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways” explores the rich history of steam engines and the impact they had on the growth of the United States and Canada – geographically, culturally and economically. Only a few steam engines remain operational, painstakingly and lovingly preserved by a dedicated army of mostly volunteers scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada. The show visits 18 historic railways in locations as diverse as Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, New Mexico and New Hampshire.zx.

Van Camp, the show’s creator and producer, has received a total of 13 Emmy Awards and 50 nominations during his career.

Van Camp began the “Great Scenic Railway Journeys” series in 1994. Many PBS stations across the U.S. show the programs during their membership drives; Van Camp frequently appears on air during program breaks. His last show, “Celebrating 175 Years of the American Railroad,” received three Emmys and helped raise more than $3.5 million for PBS stations. In 2007 the Great Scenic Railway Journeys series was picked up by the Travel Channel UK, which broadcasts throughout Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and the Asia Pacific.

Van Camp’s love for both public television and the history of railroads dates back to his childhood. He has fond memories of watching children’s programming like “Zoom” and the “Electric Company” on the Boston PBS station, WGBH, while growing up in the historic town of Concord, Mass. He also remembers vividly a summer vacation trip to the North Carolina Mountains and Tweetsie Railroad as a young child.

“ ‘Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways’ gave me an opportunity not only to further help the mission of preserving our railway history, but also to help PBS stations throughout the U.S.,” Van Camp said. “The wonderful thing about public television is that the public has a say in what they want to see. It is not subject to the whims of advertisers. There is truly something on public television for everyone, all on one network.”

Before founding his own company, Van Camp was a television news photographer/ producer for the Winston-Salem bureau of WFMY News 2. His first railroad show, about the Great Smoky Mountain Railway in North Carolina, aired in 1994. It became the first in the series railroad shows, as well as several local and regional programs like “Keeping the Faith,” a documentary on Old Salem, and “Blurred Lines,” about the tragedies resulting from drunk driving.

Van Camp’s company, Wide Eye Productions^®, also produces DVDs for a number of corporate and non-profit clients. Recent clients have included Sexton Construction, YMCA-Camp Hanes, Salem Academy and College, and Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County.

More information and photos of the Great Scenic Railway Journeys series can be found at www.gsrj.com.

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November 21, 2008

Great Scenic Railway Journeys was nominated for 9 Emmy nominations.

Great Scenic Railway Journeys current special that celebrates North America's existing steam railways was nominated on Friday night for a total of 9 Emmy nominations by the Mid-South Region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The show's creator and producer, Robert Van Camp, was nominated in the following categories: historical and cultural programming, director programming, photography, editor, and lighting. The other nominations came in a new category called advanced media, which consists of productions produced for the web. Van Camp was nominated in the categories of: commercial spot, photography, editor, and writer/producer.

This is a milestone for the show's creator and producer, Robert Van Camp, being that this last round of nominations will total 50 in his career. Van Camp's last Great Scenic Railway Journeys special for public television (celebrating 175 years of the American railroad), garnished him 3 Emmys, giving him a career total of 10.

The awards will be announced in Nashville on January 24, 2009. To find out more about the nominations, go to nashville.emmyonline.org.

For more information on Great Scenic Railways Journeys, visit www.gsrj.com.

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