Members of the coverage team from Kennedy, NASA’s Johnson Space Center and SpaceX took to the stage in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 14, to accept the Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program for “NASA and SpaceX: The Interactive Demo-1 Launch.” The show’s producer and ASRC Federal employee, Michael Justice, represented the KIAC team on the stage.

Telling the NASA story is all in a day’s work for this group of producers, directors, engineers, cinematographers, photographers and writers who serve as part of the agency’s Public Affairs team. The launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon on the uncrewed Demo-1 flight test to the International Space Station, the company’s inaugural flight with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, heralded the beginning of a new chapter in spaceflight – and called for a new approach to the broadcast.

NASA and SpaceX collaborated on an interactive show, blending traditional elements such as countdown updates and in-depth coverage of the mission with social media influencers and users around the world.

The broadcast was up against steep competition in its category, ultimately beating heavy-hitters “Conan,” “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Emmy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=haXoWZTu6GE