Christof Putzel
| Christof Putzel | |
|---|---|
| Education | Connecticut College |
| Occupation |
Journalist Correspondent |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Notable credit(s) |
Vanguard America Tonight |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Taft |
Christof Putzel, is an award-winning journalist and correspondent for Al Jazeera America's news magazine America Tonight. He was formerly a correspondent Vanguard, Current TV's investigative documentary series.[1] In addition to Current TV, his work has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, PBS, CBC, and the Sundance Channel.[2]
Career
Christof began his production career while still an undergraduate at Connecticut College, where he produced his first documentary, "Left Behind," about AIDS orphans in Kenya. After screening at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film won a Student Academy Award, a Student Emmy, the International Documentary Association’s David Wolper Award, and the HBO Films Best Student Film Award.
Christof joined Current TV in 2005 as one of the network’s first employees. The following year, he was the first American television journalist to report from Mogadishu, Somalia since the infamous Black Hawk Down incident in 1993. His resulting story, Mogadishu Madness, about the rise and fall of the Islamic Court Union, was nominated for an Emmy.
Christof has since trekked in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cover the exploitation of child gold miners, made the treacherous journey across the Mexico/US border through the desert with migrants trying to reach American soil, and camped on the southern shores of Yemen, where he discovered the bodies of more than two-dozen people who died attempting to escape the violence in Somalia.
In 2009, Christof won both the prestigious Livingston Award for International Reporting and Columbia University’s Alfred I. duPont Award for his report, “From Russia with Hate,” about the rise of violent attacks against immigrants by neo-Nazi skinheads. The following year, Christof was nominated for his third Emmy for “Lost in Democracy,” a story about the first democratic elections held in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
On June 17, 2013 it was announced that Putzel will be a correspondent for the upcoming news program America Tonight which will air on Al Jazeera America at 9:00 pm eastern time.[3]
Personal life
Putzel is a third generation news reporter. His father, Michael Putzel, covered the Vietnam War and the White House for the Associated Press. His mother, Ann Blackman, was a correspondent for Time Magazine and a reporter for the Associated Press before becoming a successful author. His grandfather, Samuel G. Blackman, was a top editor for the Associated Press.
Christof is married to Julia Taft, a great-granddaughter of the late Robert A. Taft, Republican senator from Ohio, and a great-great-granddaughter of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft. They separated in 2013.[4]
Awards
| Year | Award | Organization | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Alfred I. duPont Award | Columbia University | "Arming the Mexican Cartel" | Silver Baton | Won[5] |
| 2012 | Carl Spielvogel Award | Overseas Press Club | "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes" | Best International Business Reporting | Won[6] |
| Prism Award | Entertainment Industries Council | "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes" | Best Documentary, News Magazine-Substance Use | Won[7] | |
| Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes" | Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting: Longform | Nominated[8] | |
| 2009 | Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | "Lost in Democracy" | Best New Approach: Arts & Culture | Nominated |
| Alfred I. duPont Award | Columbia University | "From Russia With Hate" | Silver Baton | Won[9] | |
| 2008 | Webby Award | International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences | "From Russia With Hate" | Drama: Individual Episode | Won[10] |
| Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | "From Russia with Hate" | Best New Approach: Documentary | Nominated | |
| "Mogadishu Madness" | Best New Approach: Current News Coverage | Nominated | |||
| National Headliner Award | Press Club of Atlantic City | "From Russia With Hate" | First Place: Investigative Reporting | Won[11] | |
| 2007 | Livingston Award for Young Journalists | Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation | "From Russia With Hate" | Best International Reporting | Won[12] |
| 2006 | CINE Golden Eagle | CINE | "Party and Play" | Award of Excellence | Won[13] |
| 2003 | Best Short Film | New York AIDS Film Festival | "Left Behind" | Won | |
| Audience Impact Award | Silverdocs | "Left Behind" | Runner Up | ||
| HBO Films Award | Savannah International Film Festival | "Left Behind" | Best International Student Film | Won[14] | |
| Student Emmy | Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | "Left Behind" | 1st Place Documentary | Won[15] | |
| Student Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | "Left Behind" | Best Documentary | Won[16] | |
| 2002 | Angelus Award | Angelus Student Film Festival | "Left Behind" | Most Outstanding Nonfiction Film | Won |
| Silver Chris Award | Columbus International Film & Video Festival | "Left Behind" | Best Student Film | Won[17] | |
| David L. Wolper/IDA Award | International Documentary Association | "Left Behind" | Best Student Documentary | Won[18] |
See also
References
- ↑ "Vanguard Correspondents". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Christof Putzel's Bio". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ http://america.aljazeera.com/update/al-jazeera-america-will-broadcast-nightly-primetime-current-affairs-magazine
- ↑ "Julia Taft, Christof Putzel".
- ↑ "duPont Award Winners 2013".
- ↑ "CURRENT TV’S ‘VANGUARD’ WINS OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB AWARD". Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ↑ "PRISM Awards honors those telling accurate stories of addiction, recovery". Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ↑ "Emmy nominations 2012".
- ↑ "duPont Award Winners 2009". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Winners 2008". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Winners 2008". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "2007 Winners". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "2006 CINE Winner Directory". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
- ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Retrieved 08/09/2011.
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