Englewood Native Earns Two Emmy Nominations

The 64th New York Emmy Nominations are in, and Englewood native Todd Ehrlich was recognized twice. As another child of the Garden State, Frank Sinatra from Hoboken once sang, “Start Spreading the News” --- WCBS-TV and Tunnel to Towers received two Emmy nominations.

“The 18th Annual Tunnel to Towers Special” was nominated in the preeminent category of Best News Special. The Best News Special category honors excellence in coverage of a one-time-only, significant, newsworthy event.

The Tunnel to Towers special covered the race along with all the good the foundation has done during the year. Tunnel to Towers has literally taken people at their lowest points, identified their greatest needs, and changed their lives for the better with one act of kindness.

The Foundation provides the most basic human need, a home for severely injured service men and women who returns from the war as a double, triple, or quadruple amputees. The Foundation gives them a smart home to help them regain their independence. They also help families of police and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty, and leave small children behind, by paying off their mortgages.

On September 29, 2019, New Yorkers, and people from around the world come together to participate in the Tunnel to Towers New York race. 25,000 people annually run to support the foundation and our military, police, and fire fighters. The race retraces Stephen Siller’s historic footsteps, when on 9/11, he sacrificed his life saving thousands during the September 11th rescue efforts.

The race is a celebration of Siller’s life, a tribute to the fallen, and a testament to the good one family has done for thousands of people. The stories of the Siller family, their testament to their brother, and all those they help is the best of the human spirit. Their biggest fundraising event of the year is the New York City run.

The Emmy nomination is dedicated to former WCBS-TV reporter, Nina Kapur, who died last year in a moped accident.

Todd Ehrlich, Executive Producer of the broadcast said, “Nina brought such positive energy to the production with her easy-going manner, ever-present smile, and love of storytelling. She covered one of the most visually compelling and emotional parts of the race day experience when the 1,800 West Point cadets ran the race in unison for the race.”

The cadets were led by Master Sergeant Cedric King, a war hero and double amputee. In one of the most inspirational segments of the show, King showed the cadets that he could lead them in the run on two prosthetic legs and shared with them that, “challenges come to you not to break you, they come to you to reveal who you truly are.” Those words reminded the cadets why they signed up to protect our country. An incredible segment brought to you by Nina, an amazing journalist, who is truly missed daily in the WCBS newsroom.

To view the Emmy Nominated “The 18th Annual Tunnel to Towers Special” click here: https://vimeo.com/505716596

The feature “Operation Smart Home Surprise” was nominated in the Military category for excellence in news or journalistic coverage of military related topics. Reporter Alex Denis covered the Critical Injured Service Members race. Scott Nokes was surprised at the starting line by his commander, Major Vincent Thompson, who joined him on the run. Their bond was still as strong as ever as we followed them physically on the run and emotionally on a voyage down memory lane. Nokes is the first visually impaired service member to receive a smart home from the Tunnel to Towers foundation.

The very best of the human spirit is exemplified by the positive outlook on life evinced by injured service men and women. The 18th Annual Tunnel to Towers New York race started out with the emotional site of these proud service member run. Each of these war heroes are double and triple amputees who receive a smart home from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The smart home helps them live a more independent life at home. The fact that they come out, participated, and finished the 3.3 mile run shows all of us the resiliency of these brave, strong independent men. We followed these critically injured service members as they retraced the historic footsteps that firefighter Stephen Siller took on 9/11 to save lives while selflessly giving up his own. These brave veterans will lift your spirit as they navigate the 5K race, while sharing their story of survival and appreciation for Tunnel to Towers.

To view the “Operation Smart Home Surprise” feature, click here: https://vimeo.com/364078132

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. The foundation honors our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice for our country. To Support the Tunnel to Tower foundation log onto t2t.org and pledge $11 dollars a month.

The Executive Producer of the broadcast since 2008 is Todd Ehrlich. He has earned 22 Emmy nominations during his career and has won 4 Emmy Awards. The New York gala is slated for late September, and we will find out if he will add to his award total.