East Preston man’s documentary wins Emmy Award

Adam Wood, formerly of Forge Close, said he was in disbelief after his project topped the News and Documentary category at the prestigious awards night, earlier this month.

Adam, who now lives in Los Angeles, was part of a team behind the documentary Clouds Over Cuba. They managed to beat stiff competition from television giants CNN, HBO and the BBC to win the award.

Speaking to the Gazette, from his home in the United States, the 34-year-old said: “Being nominated for an Emmy is just about the highest honour one can achieve in the industry.

“So being nominated alongside my colleagues felt just as amazing as you’d think it would. It validates the passion, drive and effort we all put into making this fantastic film and website.

“Beating content from the likes of the BBC, CBS, HBO, among others, is a great feeling.”

The project was an interactive documentary about the Cuban missile crisis, in October, 1962.

It depicted the fear and tension felt across the globe during the 13-day stand-off between the USA and Communist-ruled Cuba.

US President at the time, John F Kennedy, ordered his navy to ‘quarantine’ the island with a blockade of ships after spy planes discovered the former Soviet Union was constructing nuclear missile sites on the island.

“The documentary took a look back at the Cuban missile crisis in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library,” explained Adam. “The feature is housed within a fully interactive website chronicling a moment where the world was brought to the brink of nuclear Armageddon.

“There is also a ‘what if’ companion film, set in an alternate 2012 in which the Cuban missile crisis did escalate into war, 50 years earlier. This intertwining tale tells the story of four fictional characters who each remember the horrors of nuclear war in their own way.”

He added that producing and compiling the film was an exhausting and stressful process. “The production process began in early 2012 and my side of editorial and post-production began late summer. The whole film and component parts and online content was edited in just over a month, which involved very little sleep for weeks on end and a huge effort by all involved.

“But, ultimately, an extremely worthwhile one,” he said.

The former Angmering School and Norfolk College student is now working on new projects, including two new documentaries, as well as recently completing a music video for rapper, Pharrell.