Name: Ann Leslie Uzdavinis
Peer Group: Commercials
New or Returning Governor? This is my third year as governor, the first year of my second term.
Describe your day job: As an independent producer who works on a wide variety of projects, no two days are alike. My career path continues to take me through diverse projects in television, film and live event production. With frequent developments in new technologies and new platforms to share content, most everyone in production has to look at new ways to keep audiences captivated and that is particularly true for the commercial and branded content projects that I work on be it a :06 or :60 commercial or a long-format branded documentary. It's such an exciting time in television production and it's more important than every to engage audience members given the huge number of places and ways that people can see content.
This past year has been incredible for me personally. A year ago I was the Director of Integrated production for a Global Production Team that was created to support the Olympics and Paralympics producing commercials, photography, digital and social content and documentary pieces rooted in the guiding principles of Olympism and every better mobility for all. Last fall as the election approached, I was part of a television, radio and digital project to get out the vote with an incredible group of women activists and influencers which was successful in getting more people to the polls.
Now I'm fortunate to be working on a few new projects including another "first" and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. It's a blessing to be considered for projects that have challenging hurdles, to be able to help mentor and be inspired by others. Everyday I learn something new be it from the content of story we are telling or in working out a new way to share that story.
Credits of which you're most proud: My projects are like my children and it's hard to pick a favorite as they each have unique challenges and rewards that increase my knowledge and my ability to do my job better.
I value any time someone tells me that have been moved by a project that I've been involved with. One instance was when a project that I co-produced and co-edited called "Timeless Voices" about a group of Tibetan Monks who were visiting the US.
The project was insightful for me personally and it was such a great reward to get a note from an old family friend telling me how meaningful she found that documentary and how proud she was when she saw my name in the credits.
Why did you want to be a Television Academy governor? The Television Academy has given me great opportunities to meet wonderful people, attend interesting events and learn more about the industry. I love the Academy and my peer group. As a governor it allows me to give back to an organization and people who have given me so much.
What do you hope to accomplish as a governor? I want to increase awareness for the Academy and for the Commercial Peer Group.
As a governor I'd like to inspire more people to find ways to give back to the Academy and our industry.
One goal is to find ways for peer groups to collaborate on initiatives and to find ways for the Academy to work with other industry groups to further the industry and the Academy's goals.
Why is the Academy important to the industry? The Academy sets the bar in so many ways for the work everyone in the industry touches.
Our award honors the best and brightest in the Industry and allows us to celebrate great work.
But it's not just about the Emmys.
The Academy Honors Event celebrates television that makes a difference in the lives of so many and it's an important reminder of how important it is to be responsible with the way that we use media as an agent of change.
The Academy Foundation's programs help set the bar for future industry professionals and keeps education relevant and injects the Academy with the energy of the next generation.
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