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Tampa Company Wins Emmy For 'Jack Hanna's Into The Wild'

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

TAMPA - A Tampa film company has won a Daytime Emmy for producing the Outstanding Children's Series of 2008, "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild."

Spectrum Productions took home the honor Friday in New York at the 35th Annual Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards.

Hanna, the former longtime director of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo, also won his first Daytime Emmy as an executive producer on the show.

"This was exciting because it is our second Emmy and a first for Jack," says Guy Nickerson, president of Spectrum, which is known for its nature and children's series.

Spectrum won an Emmy last year for a special, "Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue," hosted by Elijah Wood.

Hanna also was nominated for outstanding host of a children's series. That Emmy went to Bindi Irwin, 9-year-old host of "Bindi The Jungle Girl" on ABC. The Daytime Emmys for children's programming, animation and lifestyle programming (such as HGTV series) are awarded in a non-televised event.

Daytime Emmys for talk shows, game shows and soap operas will be presented live Friday night on CBS.

This is the first season for "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild." The series features Hannah, 60, and his wife Suzi, and three daughters Kathaleen, Suzanne and Julie.

The series is filmed in high-definition and consists of the Hanna family's travels around the globe to learn about animals.

"Whatever animal it might be, in whatever part of the world," Hanna said, "I go there and talk to people who can communicate in a simple way to the average person."

Nickerson, a former television news photographer, founded Spectrum in 1989. He produced 240 of "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" which stopped production in 2005 but is still in syndication.

Nickerson and Jim Rapsas serve as co-executive producers on "Into the Wild."

Nickerson's brother Glenn is director and Elaine Pugliese is the supervising producer. The series airs at 10 a.m. Sundays on WTVT, Channel 13.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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