Legendary group’s holiday show earns Telly Award
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 25, 2015) – When country music supergroup the Oak Ridge Boys
were preparing to launch the 25th annual Christmas Night Out tour, they
wanted to add a little something extra–a one-night only television
special honoring the work of The American Legion and its efforts to aid
veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The last thing
the Oak Ridge Boys had on their minds was receiving a major television
award for A Salute to Christmas.
“PTSD can be a debilitating disease for service members returning
home, but it can be treated,” said Oak Ridge Boys singer Duane Allen.
“The American Legion’s work with veterans facing PTSD is among some of
the most important in the country, and we wanted to help them support
that work with the kickoff of our Christmas Night Out tour.”
Working with the American Legion also led to a number of PSAs for the
legion, which aired on multiple national and cable networks, as well as
the one-hour Christmas special which aired in markets across the U.S. A Salute To Christmas received a 2015 Telly Award for outstanding television production.
Established in 1979, the Telly Awards are the premier award honoring
outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs,
video and film productions, and web commercials, videos, and films.
Showcasing the best work of the most respected agencies, production
companies, television stations, and cable operators, the Telly Award is a
highly respected international competition, receiving more than 12,000
annually from around the world.
In addition to the Oak Ridge Boys, A Salute to Christmas featured Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Martin Family Circus, and Mary Sarah. The special was produced by Tracy Trost of Targeting Concepts Marketing, of Tulsa, OK. Trost was surprised by the Telly Award.
“This project is very special because the heart of it is to bring
attention to the needs of our veterans. For me personally, being able to
work so closely with the Oak Ridge Boys has been a highlight in my
career,” said Trost. “Winning this award just shows how excellent they
and The American Legion are. I am honored to be a part.”
Allen agreed with Trost, and added that any recognition the Christmas special garners helps call attention to a good cause.
“If this award can help us tell the story of the men and women
suffering with PTSD, and of the help that The American Legion is
providing to them, that’s a great thing. We’re honored to have received
this award, but we’re more honored that we got to be a part of helping
those who’ve given so much to our country already,” Allen said.
The Telly Award for A Salute to Christmas is just one of the
accolades received by the Oak Ridge Boys this year. In addition, the
Oak Ridge Boys released a critically acclaimed album of new gospel
recordings, “Rock of Ages”, which broke the Top 10 on Billboard’s
Christian Albums chart. Earlier this year, the Country Music Hall of
Fame announced that the Oak Ridge Boys will be inducted into the hall of
fame in October.