Recent Emmy nominees Jeff Belanger and Tony Dunne sit down with each other to discuss their New England Legends project for PBS. See clips from the show, and what it took to turn their idea into an Emmy nomination.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – April 29, 2014 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Boston/New England has announced that New England Legends: The Spooky Berkshires, independently created and produced by Jeff Belanger and Tony Dunne for PBS, has been nominated for an Emmy award under the category of “Magazine Program/Special.” New England Legends: The Spooky Berkshires was produced in 2013 and is the brainchild of paranormal author and legend hunter Jeff Belanger, and PBS producer and director Tony Dunne. Belanger and Dunne first met in 2009 when Dunne was producing his critically-acclaimed documentary Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England for PBS affiliate WGBY. Through working together on that project, the two discovered they share a passion for these types of stories… and they learned they were both born at the same hospital in Southbridge, Massachusetts, about a year apart. Not one to question destiny, the two began collaborating. “Our single focus from the beginning of this project was to let story be our master,” said New England Legends executive producer, director, and editor Tony Dunne. “We pooled our money, begged our industry friends for help, borrowed gear, and shot this entire project on our own time and money. This Emmy nomination is a huge honor, and is such a sweet reward for all of our hard work and sacrifice.” “We’re so fortunate to have some really talented friends,” added New England Legends host, writer, and executive producer Jeff Belanger. “Nate Buynicki was our director of photography and gave New England Legends the look we needed, and John Judd composed some incredible music that set a mysterious and often spooky mood for this project. We’re just four guys who brought our talents together, and now we’re Emmy-nominated alongside some of the very best shows in New England. We know we’re clearly the underdog, considering the other guys have networks and production companies behind them, so we’re soaking in this moment all we can!” The Boston/New England Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievements in broadcasting by conferring annual awards of merit in the chapter’s designated award region. This is Dunne’s fourth Emmy nomination and Belanger’s first. Winners will be announced at the 37th Emmy Awards on Saturday, June 7th in Boston. For more information on the award, see www.newenglandemmy.org About New England Legends The New England Legends series is created and produced by Jeff Belanger and Tony Dunne. The series premiered October 31, 2013 on PBS affiliate WGBY. Since then, other New England PBS stations have committed to broadcast the series, though air dates have not been set. For more information, see ournewenglandlegends.com About Jeff Belanger Jeff Belanger is a New England native, author, and adventurer. He’s the author of more than a dozen books on the paranormal (published in six languages) including the best sellers: The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House? (for children). He’s a noted speaker and media personality on the subject of the unexplained. He’s also the host of the cable/Web talk show, 30 Odd Minutes, which is available in over 9 million homes in the United States and Europe. Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and is the series writer and researcher for Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM. About Tony Dunne Award-winning television producer Tony Dunne grew up in central Massachusetts, but has called Western Massachusetts home for well over a decade now. After studying film and television production at Emerson College and the University of Massachusetts, Tony has spent the past 15 years working as a producer in news, commercial, independent, and most recently public television at PBS honing his storytelling skills. Tony has produced magazine programs, nightly newscasts, quiz shows, lifestyle and health programming, as well as the nationally-distributed documentary Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England for PBS.
Built by the J.P. Morgan family, Lenox’s Ventfort Hall is a Gilded Age mansion with ties to the legendary Massachusetts 54th regiment from the Civil War and was host to the people who shaped and molded this country at the turn of the century — the Vanderbilts and the Rockerfellers of the era. And if you’re a movie fan, it was even featured as the titular setting for the Hollywood blockbuster The Cider House Rules. As Legend Hunter Jeff Belanger shows us, in addition to its amazing history it’s also said to be a location for restless spirits.
New series follows author and adventurer Jeff Belanger as he explores the folklore of New England. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – October 22 , 2013 – If we’re to believe the history books, folklore, and thousands of eyewitnesses over the last few centuries, New England is full of ghosts, monsters, and other mysteries that are more than just campfire tales. On October 31st at 10 PM, PBS affiliate WGBY in Springfield will premiere New England Legends, a new television series that follows adventurer and author Jeff Belanger as he explores these many tales around New England. Two half-hour episodes will air back-to-back on October 31st: “The Spooky Berkshires” and “Mysteries in Stone.” “The Spooky Berkshires” examines the tragic history of the Houghton Mansion in North Adams, Massachusetts, and its century-old haunting, then heads up to October Mountain in the Berkshires to chase down stories of Bigfoot sightings, UFOs, and the ghost of a young girl said to haunt an abandoned cemetery somewhere deep in the woods. “Mysteries in Stone” takes viewers north of Boston to a 4,000-year-old calendar in Salem, New Hampshire dubbed “America’s Stonehenge,” before heading south to Lynn Woods on Boston’s North Shore to explore tales of pirates, buried treasure, and a man who spent his life tunneling through solid rock because spirits told him he’d find gold. “This isn’t a ghost-hunting show,” said Host and Executive Producer Jeff Belanger. “Legends are living, breathing things. They define our communities as much as the buildings or the people who came before us. New England Legends will explore those tales from the fringe that make living in New England that much more interesting.” Belanger partnered with Tony Dunne, who wrote and produced the documentary Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England back for PBS in 2009. Belanger was featured prominently in that first documentary, which went on to national acclaim. The two have been discussing producing a regular television series ever since. “New England Legends is made by New Englanders for New England,” said Director and Executive Producer Tony Dunne. “These stories are always evolving as new people discover the hidden caves and mysterious locales that are hidden treasures in our region. We’re taking a snapshot of these stories and showing believers and skeptics alike how these legends help define what it means to be from New England.” About Jeff Belanger Jeff Belanger (www.jeffbelanger.com) is a New England native, author, adventurer, and one of the most visible and prolific paranormal researchers today. Since 1997, the journalist has interviewed thousands of eyewitnesses to paranormal occurrences. He’s the author of more than a dozen books on the paranormal (published in six languages) including the best sellers: The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House? (for children). He’s the founder of Ghostvillage.com, the Web’s most popular paranormal destination according to Google.com, and a noted speaker and media personality. He’s also the host of the cable/Web talk show, 30 Odd Minutes which is available in over 9 million homes in the United States and Europe on Sky TV. Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and is the series writer and researcher for Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM. About Tony Dunne Award-winning television producer Tony Dunne grew up in Central Massachusetts, but has called Western Massachusetts home for well over a decade now. After studying film and television production at Emerson College and the University of Massachusetts, Tony has spent the past 15 years working as a producer in news, commercial, independent, and most recently public television at PBS honing his storytelling skills. Tony has produced magazine programs, nightly newscasts, quiz shows, lifestyle and health programming, as well as the nationally-distributed documentary Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England for PBS. About New England Legends New England Legends premieres on October 31st at 10 PM on PBS affiliate WGBY in Springfield, Massachusetts. For more information, visit: www.ournewenglandlegends.com
