11/15/2019 by Michael O’Connell for The Hollywood Reporter.
Active members and veterans with a robust body of work will still cast ballots for TV’s top honors.
The Television Academy is making some moves to ensure the Emmy voting body is actively working in TV.
Leadership Frank Scherma and Maury McIntyre informed membership of a new vetting process, which goes into effect January 2020, in a Friday memo announcing the Academy will limit Emmy voting to only active members with recent credits.
Of the 25,000-plus members in the TV Academy, less than 10 percent are likely to fall into the new “associate” non-voting.
“We are proud that the Emmy Award continues to be the most sought-after symbol of excellence in television,” said Scherma and McIntyre in the letter, “and we thank all of our members who have made it so.”
Excluded from the recent credits requirement will be industry veterans who put in multiple years of active work in TV and have since slowed down or retired: “The Television Academy values the insight and perspective of members who have had significant experience.”
The TV Academy is by far the biggest voting body among the major Hollywood awards shows — and has only grown with the recent proliferation of TV content. This move reflects an awareness, on the Academy’s part, that it’s probably best that the pool not get too big.
You can read today’s full memo HERE.
Glad to see the Academy will still consider votes from long-serving members who have paid their dues, in more ways than one. Dare we look for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscar) to follow suit? Let’s hope.