Last Updated on August 5, 2021
The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has nominated Growing Bolder for two EMMY® Awards, honoring the company’s first documentary Conquering Kilimanjaro, as well as its special series Surviving & Thriving®. Both programs aired on WKMG in Orlando.
This is the third consecutive nomination for Surviving & Thriving®, which is produced by Growing Bolder in partnership with Florida Hospital. Hosted by two-time cancer survivor Wendy Chioji, it features the powerful and inspirational stories of people who’ve battled back and overcome life’s most-challenging setbacks.
The documentary Conquering Kilimanjaro tells the extraordinary true story of a group of 16 cancer survivors and advocates who climbed to the 19,341-foot frozen summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, to send a message of love and hope to the world’s 32 million cancer survivors.
Growing Bolder Founder and CEO Marc Middleton not only climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with the expedition team, he shot most of the footage, then produced, wrote, directed and narrated the film upon his return.
“Creating work we believe in and that we know helps and inspires others is its own reward. That said, it’s nice when that work is recognized by our peers,” Middleton says. “Both Surviving & Thriving® and Conquering Kilimanjaro stand as testaments to the power of the human spirit to overcome the seemingly insurmountable. We’re proud to share these stories to help others in need of hope and inspiration.
After a world premiere in Austin, Texas, at the annual LIVESTRONG Ride for the Roses weekend, Conquering Kilimanjaro made its local TV debut on WKMG in Orlando. It later made its national broadcast debut on the RLTV network. Surviving & Thriving airs quarterly on WKMG and features reports from Middleton, Growing Bolder’s Bill Shafer, stroke survivor Secily Wilson, health and wellness tips from renowned neurosurgeon Robert Masson, M.D. and others.
Middleton and Michael Nanus, the editor and co-producer of Conquering Kilimanjaro, are accepting the EMMY® nomination on Growing Bolder’s behalf. The film is nominated in the Documentary – Topical category.
Surviving & Thriving® is nominated in the Human Interest category, which celebrates excellence in subject matter that appeals to the human spirit. Executive Producer Jackie Carlin is accepting the nomination for Surviving & Thriving®.
“Surviving & Thriving® gives us the rare honor and privilege to tell the stories of some of the bravest men, women and children we’ve ever met,” Carlin says. “Whether they’re thriving in the aftermath cancer, the loss of a spouse or traumatic injuries, the fact that they’re willing to share their powerful messages of hope and inspiration is a gift to us all.”
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on December 5, 2015.
