A year after an excessively long Primetime Emmy Award acceptance speech by The Queen’s Gambit’s Scott Frank was slammed on social media, the TV Academy is encouraging this year’s nominees to take advantage of a new method of shortening an acceptance speech to spare everyone embarrassment.
The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned that people nominated for awards that will be presented at the Primetime Emmys on Sept. 12, and their representatives, received a communication on Friday from the TV Academy notifying them that they can pre-submit thank-you names and messages — up to 350 characters — to appear on the screen if they win.
“We want to make sure you can speak from the heart and not feel pressure to remember to say all those important names when you are in the spotlight giving your acceptance speech,” the missive reads, in part. “So… this year, we are doing something different. During your speech, we will graphically list the names of your significants, executives, agents, etc. All you need to do is type your thank yous in the link below and hit send.”
Nominees are under no obligation to take advantage of this alternative method of offering thanks, and it seems likely that many will still opt to verbally express their appreciation to family, friends and colleagues.
The full text of the TV Academy’s communication appears below.
Congratulations on your nomination for the 74th Emmys. How incredible!
If you win (fingers crossed), we want to make sure you can speak from the heart and not feel pressure to remember to say all those important names when you are in the spotlight giving your acceptance speech.
So… this year, we are doing something different. During your speech, we will graphically list the names of your significants, executives, agents, etc. All you need to do is type your thank yous in the link below and hit send. By the way, if you are receiving your award as a group, please combine your thanks and only submit once. If you are nominated for more than one category, please submit to the link per category.
You have 350 characters to do with as you wish (PG, obviously). You are welcome to personalize it… “If you’re awake Tommy and Sukie, Daddy WON!… You can have a puppy!”
There’s a mock-up of how it will look below, and you will see the words on a monitor in front of you while you speak; so you can be assured your thanks will be broadcast!
Just a reminder: If you win, you have 45 seconds for your speech. There will be a countdown clock — also displayed on the monitor — to help you judge the time you have left. As you know, we only have a finite amount of time in the show. If you go long, it means that your fellow winners won’t have time to make their speeches. So out of respect to your peers, PLEASE stay to time. Believe us, we HATE playing people off, just as much as you hate being played off.
The deadline for submitting your words is Wednesday, Sept. 7. If you have not submitted by then, we will assume you don’t want your thanks displayed.
