Christof Putzel

Last updated
Christof Putzel
Born1979 (age 44–45)
Washington, D.C.
Alma mater Connecticut College (BA)
Occupation(s) Journalist
Correspondent
Years active2003–present
Notable credit(s) Vanguard
America Tonight
Travel Channel

Christof Putzel is an American journalist and correspondent for Travel Channel. He is a former correspondent for Al Jazeera America's news magazine America Tonight and Current TV's investigative documentary series, Vanguard. [1]

Contents

Career

Christof began his production career while an undergraduate at Connecticut College, where he produced his first documentary, "Left Behind," about AIDS orphans in Kenya. The film won over a dozen awards at film festivals, including a Student Academy Award, the International Documentary Association's David Wolper Award, and HBO Films Best Student Film Award.

Christof joined Current TV in 2005 as one of the network's first employees. The following year, he was nominated for his first Emmy for his report from Mogadishu, Somalia about the rise and fall of the Islamic Court Union. He trekked in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cover the exploitation of child gold miners, made the treacherous journey through the desert to cross the Mexico/US border with migrants trying to reach American soil, and camped on the southern shores of Yemen, where he discovered the bodies of more than two-dozen refugees who drowned attempting to escape the violence in Somalia.

His documentary, "From Russia with Hate," about the rise of violent attacks against immigrants in Moscow by neo-Nazi skinheads, won Columbia University's Alfred I. DuPont Award and the prestigious Livingston Award for International Reporting. He was nominated for his third Emmy for "Lost in Democracy," a documentary about the first democratic elections held in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.

In 2012, "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes," a documentary centered around Aldi, "the Indonesian smoking baby," went viral after exposing Philip Morris's marketing practices in the developing world. [2] It won an Overseas Press Club Award, a PRISM Award, and was nominated for an Emmy.

In 2013, Christof was awarded his second Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for "Arming the Mexican Cartels," a documentary investigating gun trafficking into Mexico from the United States. [3]

When Current TV was sold to Al Jazeera Media in 2013, Putzel became a senior correspondent for the network's flagship news magazine, America Tonight. [4]

Personal life

Putzel is a third-generation news reporter. His father, Michael Putzel, covered the Vietnam War and the White House for the Associated Press. His mother, Ann Blackman, was a correspondent for Time and a reporter for the Associated Press. His grandfather, Samuel G. Blackman, was a top editor for the Associated Press. [5]

Christof was married to Julia Taft, a great-granddaughter of late Robert A. Taft, Republican senator from Ohio, and a great-great-granddaughter of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft. [6] They divorced in 2014. [7]

Awards

YearAwardOrganizationWorkCategoryResult
2013 Alfred I. duPont Award Columbia University "Arming the Mexican Cartel"Silver BatonWon [8]
2012Carl Spielvogel Award Overseas Press Club "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes"Best International Business ReportingWon [9]
Prism AwardEntertainment Industries Council"Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes"Best Documentary, News Magazine-Substance UseWon [10]
Emmy Award National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences "Sex, Lies, and Cigarettes"Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting: LongformNominated [11]
2009 Emmy Award National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences "Lost in Democracy"Best New Approach: Arts & CultureNominated
Alfred I. duPont Award Columbia University"From Russia With Hate"Silver BatonWon [12]
2008 Webby Award International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences "From Russia With Hate"Drama: Individual EpisodeWon [13]
Emmy Award National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences "From Russia with Hate"Best New Approach: DocumentaryNominated
"Mogadishu Madness"Best New Approach: Current News CoverageNominated
National Headliner AwardPress Club of Atlantic City"From Russia With Hate"First Place: Investigative ReportingWon [14]
2007 Livingston Award for Young JournalistsMollie Parnis Livingston Foundation"From Russia With Hate"Best International ReportingWon [15]
2006 CINE Golden Eagle CINE"Party and Play"Award of ExcellenceWon [16]
2003Best Short FilmNew York AIDS Film Festival"Left Behind"Won
Audience Impact AwardAFI/Silverdocs "Left Behind"Runner Up
HBO Films Award Savannah International Film Festival "Left Behind"Best International Student FilmWon [17]
Student Emmy Academy of Television Arts and Sciences "Left Behind"1st Place DocumentaryWon [18]
Student Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences "Left Behind"Best DocumentaryWon [19]
2002Angelus AwardAngelus Student Film Festival"Left Behind"Most Outstanding Nonfiction FilmWon
Silver Chris Award Columbus International Film & Video Festival "Left Behind"Best Student FilmWon [20]
David L. Wolper/IDA Award International Documentary Association "Left Behind"Best Student DocumentaryWon [21]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Vanguard Correspondents". Current. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  2. ↑ "A Battle for Indonesia's Hearts and Lungs". The Jakarta Globe. February 26, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Graduate School of Journalism Announces 14 Winners of the 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards". On Campus | Columbia News. Dec 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  4. ↑ "Al Jazeera America will broadcast nightly primetime current affairs magazine". al Jazeera America. Archived from the original on 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  5. ↑ "Samuel G. Blackman; News Executive, 90" . The New York Times. The Associated Press. 1995-10-08. Archived from the original on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  6. ↑ "Julia Taft, Christof Putzel" . The New York Times. 2007-06-03. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  7. ↑ "Christof Putzel Vs Julia Taft | Court Records". UniCourt. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  8. ↑ "duPont-Columbia Awards - 2013 Winners". Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Archived from the original on 2012-12-25.
  9. ↑ "Current TV's 'Vanguard' wins Overseas Press Club award". Current TV. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  10. ↑ "PRISM Awards honors those telling accurate stories of addiction, recovery". Renew Everyday. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  11. ↑ "Emmy nominations 2012". Archived from the original on 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  12. ↑ "duPont Award Winners 2009". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  13. ↑ "Winners 2008". Archived from the original on 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  14. ↑ "Winners 2008". Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  15. ↑ "2007 Winners". Archived from the original on 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  16. ↑ "2006 CINE Winner Directory" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  17. ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  18. ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  19. ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  20. ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  21. ↑ "Awards and Screenings". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
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