As a new cable show set to launch this fall, Footnote is already competing with the big players and gaining recognition for its storytelling quality and production values.
Footnote’s pilot episode has been awarded four 2010 Telly Awards, which are voted on each year by members of the Silver Telly Council, and given to the very best in local and regional television, film, and web.
“We are so excited about these awards! To be just starting out and get this kind of affirmation is amazing,” says producer Jon Reisinger. “In a lot of ways, we were just finding our voice in that first episode, and we’ve continued to hone the storytelling with each theme.”
Footnote is co-produced by Back To The Bible and Cooke Pictures, and many of the writers and staff are Christians. However, it is not your grandmother’s “Christian” show.
The pilot episode, titled “NSFW”, is an open-minded and balanced examination of pornography in today’s culture, and includes interviews with a porn star, a former porn producer, and “porn pastor” Craig Gross [pictured] of XXXChurch.com.
Additional themes covered in the first thirteen episodes include death, homelessness, love and marriage, secrets, and anger (working title “Pissed Off”).
Each theme is explored through the eyes of various individuals. The raw authenticity of each person’s story, and the way those stories are allowed to unfold naturally, is what gives Footnote its unique voice.
Although the show is entertaining, “there are not always happy endings,” says executive producer Arnie Cole. “We are exploring hard issues, and hopefully giving people something to think about and discuss. But we don’t want the show to give the ‘answer’…we leave it to the viewers draw their own conclusions.”
That truthfulness is at the core of Footnote’s vision to find the small stories, the “footnotes” between the big events, and share them in a thought-provoking and personal way. It seems to be working.
More information about the awards and a list of Silver Telly Winners can be found at www.TellyAwards.com.
More information about Footnote is available online, and the first episode can be viewed in part at www.fntv.com.