Regional Emmy Win for "Kokua"

Surf documentarian Ira Opper's "Kokua," which follows local singer-songwriter Jack Johnson around Oahu's North Shore, and features Jack and Kim Johnson's Kokua Hawaii Foundation, just garnered a regional Emmy Award in the Visual and Performing Arts Program category. The surf/music/environment doc aired last year on Fox's Fuel TV channel, and helped raise awareness on the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle, particularly in Hawaii. Kokua’s production team included local surf shooters Sonny Miller, Derek Hoffman, and Mike Prickett.

The Emmy was awarded by the Pacific Southwest chapter of the Emmy organization, which covers San Diego, Bakersfield, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas (Opper lives in the San Diego area). Hawaii's own local TV market, however, is covered by the Northern California chapter, which also includes Northern California, and Reno, NV. There are 20 regional Emmy chapters in all. Hawaii garnered one regional Emmy in 2005: KITV's Pamela Young (a 9-time regional Emmy winner) scored for Individual Achievement in Program Writing.

>> Film Kokua starring Jack Johnson receives Emmy award [Global Surf News, 6/29/05]