Eight, Arizona PBS wins bronze Telly Award for The Latest Procedure: Anterior Total Hip Replacement Surgery

34th annual national and international competition honors outstanding achievement

PHOENIX — (June 19, 2013) Judges in the 34th annual Telly Awards honored Eight, Arizona PBS’ program The Latest Procedure: Anterior Total Hip Replacement Surgery with a Bronze Telly Award for outstanding creative achievement in health and fitness in 2012. The Telly Awards honor the very best film and video productions, groundbreaking online video content, and outstanding local, regional, & cable TV commercials and programs.

Entries in the national and international competition do not compete against each other, but rather are judged against a high standard of merit. Eight’s program The Latest Procedure: Anterior Total Hip Replacement Surgery was judged by a panel of industry experts from a pool of nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries.

Eight’s hour-long special The Latest Procedure: Anterior Total Hip Replacement Surgery, hosted by Jim Cissell, allowed viewers to step inside the OR with Arizona orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ted Firestone, Medical Director of the Total Joint Replacement program at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. During the surgery, Dr. Firestone provided a step-by-step explanation of this innovative hip replacement technique, which results in less pain and quicker return to normal activities for patients. The program, which was directed by Wayne Dickmann, provided a bird's-eye view of the operation through a mini-cam strapped to the surgeon's head for a unique play-by-play account of the surgery.

“The biggest challenge in any educational film is making sure the audience understands what it is you are trying to present to them.  I think we succeeded in this by starting with basic concepts so that when things became more complex it would all still make sense,” said Wayne Dickmann, director in charge of production. “When my mom said she now understood anterior total hip replacement, I knew we had succeeded. The OR is a huge mystery to many people.  The fact that our cameras could provide a true experience is priceless.” Producer Chris Wooley, Executive Producer Nancy Southgate and Eight’s General Manager Kelly McCullough, who served as executive in charge of production, oversaw the multimedia project, which encourages patients to become smarter healthcare consumers by providing integrated and interactive content via television programs, various online health resources, including interactive health surveys and background information on various conditions and treatment options, social media and educational outreach efforts.

“Our goal of The Latest Procedure is to inform individuals about healthy living practices, medical discoveries, diagnoses and treatments to foster better health,” said McCullough.  “The healthcare landscape is changing – shifting the burden of responsibility to patients to take a more assertive role in their own care, leaving many patients feeling inadequately informed about their own health concerns. This multi-media project delivers content across many platforms – television programs, the web, social media and educational outreach – to educate viewers about their healthcare options.”

The judges of the 34th annual Telly Awards recognized the Eight production for its innovation and ingenuity in health and fitness programming. The Telly Awards annually showcase the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world. To view the complete list of winners for the 34th Annual competition, visit http://www.tellyawards.com/winners/.