30 for 30 earns Primetime Emmy nom

The official 2011 Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced Thursday morning.

ESPN is proud to acknowledge that ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Series.

Connor Schell, vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films, was on hand last month at the Waldorf Astoria, along with John Dahl, George Bodenheimer and Bill Simmons, to accept the George Foster Peabody Award on behalf of 30 for 30.

Schell tells Front Row what this Emmy nomination means to the team, and what the future holds for ESPN Films.

FR: What is the reaction from the ESPN Films team to 30 for 30 being nominated for a primetime Emmy award?

Schell: We are thrilled. Having just been honored with a Peabody Award back in May, we are so proud of this continued recognition for ESPN Films and the tribute it is to the incredible work of each filmmaker. For the television industry broadly to recognize 30 for 30 with a primetime Emmy nomination speaks to the idea that each of these films really transcends sports and simply tells human stories.

FR: Do you feel that being nominated helps elevate the ESPN Films brand?

Schell: While we certainly appreciate the recognition, our main goal is to create films that will resonate with sports fans.

FR: What do you think this means for the future of 30 for 30 and ESPN Films?

Schell: We would have loved to carry on the 30 for 30 brand but that was a specific project to celebrate ESPN’s 30th anniversary. When Keith Clinkscales, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Content Development and Enterprises, spoke to Front Row recently, he mentioned the launch of ESPN Films on Classic and how that will expand long-form sports storytelling on our networks. As part of that, this fall we are launching a new series from ESPN Films which is designed to continue to bring great stories to our viewers. Catching Hell [from Academy Award winning director Alex Gibney] takes a look at scapegoats in sports and kicks off the series on September 29.