Going to the Emmy's

Some might say I am driven, an over achiever, goal motivated and inspired. What can I say, from middle school I was voted 'Most Likely To Succeed' and in High School I was voted 'Most Talented' by my peers. I've always had passion and with passion comes determination and with that comes pure drive to be the best. Once I set a goal I strive to reach and achieve it, once completed then I set a new one and so on. 
I remember when I graduated from college, I had achieved the honor of being Miss Hawaii, competed on the Miss America stage and was hired at KHON2 as a general assignment reporter. From there I set my sights on being dubbed an "Award-Winning Journalist" I also wanted to be a News Anchor one day. Well within one year I accomplished becoming the co-anchor of Wake Up 2day and the awards soon followed. With a few Society of Professional Journalist awards under my belt and a coveted Edward R. Murrow (along with being named the first Lin Media KHON2 Employee of the Year) I was on a roll. I had set out to accomplish these goals and it was time to move on. Once I left my job and started my own digital marketing and communications firm I also started freelance writing. From there I wrote for Frolic Hawaii, various blogs and websites, I helped write several TV shows/specials and most recently the Forbes Travel Guide. 

About a year after venturing on my own, one of the shows I helped write won a Telly Award, then this past year Lanai Tabura (known for Cooking Hawaiian Style, Food Network, and a popular radio/host) reached out to me to help with writing a show focused on the food alleyways in Osaka Japan. This was truly an honor because in 2018 Lanai and his team had won an Emmy for a similar show they did on Waikiki Yokocho's Ramen in Hawaii. It was a bit unconventional, as I had to research the restaurants they were visiting in Japan before they left Hawaii to shoot it. So essentially I was writing a show with content sight unseen. Overall, Lanai and his team (myself included) were nominated for 3 Northern California Area Emmy Awards. This is part of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences San Francisco Northern California Chapter, not to be confused for the daytime or primetime Emmy's that you see on TV. It is the same academy but this is focused on the regional nominees which included those in the northern pacific region. 

Anyway, when we received word that our show was nominated for an Emmy in the Lifestyle - Program/Special Category, we were ecstatic. The whole team (host, producers, director, editor and etc) opted to fly to San Francisco for the Gala event and Award Show. We stayed near the airport, ate till our hearts content and also saw a few sights while in town. I love SF, it's a great city and really has the best food in the country right now. The night of the Gala we made it to the SF Jazz center where they hosted your first glass from the bar, hand-passed pupus, people mingled and took photos. Once the awards began we shuffled into the center and the program commenced. Luckily our category was the very first to be announced. In the end we didn't win the actual trophy, but it was an immense honor to be there for my very first time and to nominated is truly a huge honor for me as well. I wasn't sad or disappointed at all.  Afterwards we enjoyed some light bites upstairs at the Jazz Center, went out to dinner then had an after-party in downtown. What a whirlwind! I am so grateful to be able to do what I love and also be recognized for my hard-work and dedication through the years - award or no... this has been an exceptional experience. Keep an eye out for more great things to come!

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