Indianapolis, Ind. – The Indiana Electric Cooperatives documentary television special ‘Power to the People’ was presented awards on Friday, May 2, at the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) “Best in Indiana” awards ceremony. The film’s production team of Diane Willis, Jim Simmons, Chris Eberfeld and Vincent Manganello were presented first place awards in the documentary and feature videography categories.
‘Power to the People’ chronicles the journey of 32 Indiana electric cooperative volunteers who traveled to a remote region of Guatemala in 2012 to construct 20 miles of power lines, extending electricity to three Guatemalan villages. The crews labored for four weeks under primitive conditions and across rugged terrain, erecting poles and stringing vast spans of electric wire across gorges by hand.
“The documentary tells the story of the Rural Electrification Administration’s role in bringing electricity to rural Indiana more than 75 years ago and how the electric cooperatives paid it forward,” said Gavyin Strantz, vice president of job training, safety and loss control for Indiana Electric Cooperatives.
The hour-long documentary also includes footage of the important work cooperative line crews perform daily and during storms. “Linemen are unique employees who rarely receive the recognition they deserve,” commented Strantz. “Like first responders, these guys regularly work in dangerous conditions that most try to avoid. This documentary offers a rare glimpse at their lives and work.”
The documentary is available for viewing on the Indiana Electric Cooperatives YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/O21gFOFFxcE.
The documentary has also been nominated for three Emmys: best documentary, best videography and best writing. The recipients of the Emmys will be named in June.
Indiana Electric Cooperatives, located in Indianapolis, represents 39 electric distribution cooperatives that serve 1.3 million Hoosiers in 89 of the state’s 92 counties. The cooperatives are collectively the second largest electricity provider in Indiana. For more information about the association visit indianaec.org.
