Christof Putzel
Encyclopedia
Christof Putzel, is an award-winning journalist and correspondent for Vanguard
, Current TV
's investigative documentary series. In addition to Current TV, his work has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, PBS, CBC, and the Sundance Channel.
Christof joined Current TV in 2005 as one of the network’s first employees. The following year, he was the first American television journalist to report from Mogadishu, Somalia since the infamous Black Hawk Down incident in 1993. His resulting story, Mogadishu Madness, about the rise and fall of the Islamic Court Union, was nominated for an Emmy.
Christof has since trekked in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cover the exploitation of child gold miners, made the treacherous journey across the Mexico/US border through the desert 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 people who died attempting to escape the violence in Somalia.
In 2009, Christof won both the prestigious Livingston Award for International Reporting and Columbia University’s Alfred I. duPont Award for his report, “From Russia with Hate,” about the rise of violent attacks against immigrants by neo-Nazi skinheads. The following year, Christof was nominated for his third Emmy for “Lost in Democracy,” a story about the first democratic elections held in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
and the White House
for the Associated Press
. His mother, Ann Blackman, was a correspondent for Time Magazine and a reporter for the Associated Press
before becoming a successful author. His father, Samuel G. Blackman, was a top editor for the Associated Press.
Christof is married to Julia Taft, a great-granddaughter of the late Robert A. Taft, Republican senator from Ohio, and a great-great-granddaughter of President William H. Taft.
Current TV
Mariana van Zeller
Adam Yamaguchi
Vanguard (TV series)
Vanguard is a television documentary series broadcast on the Current TV television network. Currently in its fifth season, Vanguard reports on such issues as the environment, drugs and the effects of globalization and conflict....
, Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
's investigative documentary series. In addition to Current TV, his work has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, PBS, CBC, and the Sundance Channel.
Career
Christof began his production career while still an undergraduate at Connecticut College, where he produced his first documentary, "Left Behind," about AIDS orphans in Kenya. After screening at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film won a Student Academy Award, a Student Emmy, the International Documentary Association’s David Wolper Award, and the 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 the first American television journalist to report from Mogadishu, Somalia since the infamous Black Hawk Down incident in 1993. His resulting story, Mogadishu Madness, about the rise and fall of the Islamic Court Union, was nominated for an Emmy.
Christof has since trekked in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo to cover the exploitation of child gold miners, made the treacherous journey across the Mexico/US border through the desert 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 people who died attempting to escape the violence in Somalia.
In 2009, Christof won both the prestigious Livingston Award for International Reporting and Columbia University’s Alfred I. duPont Award for his report, “From Russia with Hate,” about the rise of violent attacks against immigrants by neo-Nazi skinheads. The following year, Christof was nominated for his third Emmy for “Lost in Democracy,” a story about the first democratic elections held in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
Personal Life
Putzel is a third generation news reporter. His father, Michael Putzel, covered the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. His mother, Ann Blackman, was a correspondent for Time Magazine and a reporter for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
before becoming a successful author. His father, Samuel G. Blackman, was a top editor for the Associated Press.
Christof is married to Julia Taft, a great-granddaughter of the late Robert A. Taft, Republican senator from Ohio, and a great-great-granddaughter of President William H. Taft.
Awards
| Year | Award | Organization | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | Best New Approach: Arts & Culture | Nominated | |
| Alfred I. duPont Award | Columbia University | "From Russia With Hate" | Silver Baton | Won | |
| 2008 | Webby Award | International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences or IADAS was founded in 1998 in New York to help drive the progress of the Internet and evolving forms of new media. The academy selects the nominees and winners for the Webby Awards, and their European equivalent, the Lovie Awards.Membership... |
"From Russia With Hate" | Drama: Individual Episode | Won |
| Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | Best New Approach: Documentary | Nominated | ||
| Best New Approach: Current News Coverage | Nominated | ||||
| National Headliner Award National Headliner Awards The National Headliner Awards are a prize given out by Press Club of Atlantic City since 1935. Both broadcast journalism and print journalism are recognized, in separate categories.-External links:*... |
Press Club of Atlantic City | "From Russia With Hate" | First Place: Investigative Reporting | Won | |
| 2007 | Livingston Award Livingston Award The Livingston Awards are American journalism awards issued to media professionals under the age of 35 for local, national, and international reporting... for Young Journalists |
Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation | "From Russia With Hate" | Best International Reporting | Won |
| 2006 | CINE Golden Eagle CINE CINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions.... |
CINE | "Party and Play" | Award of Excellence | Won |
| 2003 | HBO Films Award HBO Films HBO Films is a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. While much of HBO Films' output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection and the mini-series Band of Brothers, Pacific, Generation Kill and Angels in... |
Savannah International Film Festival | "Left Behind" | Best International Student Film | Won |
| Student Emmy | Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry... |
"Left Behind" | 1st Place Documentary | Won | |
| Student Academy Award | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures... |
"Left Behind" | Best Documentary | Won | |
| 2002 | Silver Chris Award | Columbus International Film & Video Festival Columbus International Film & Video Festival The Columbus International Film + Video Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, USA annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication... |
"Left Behind" | Best Student Film | Won |
| David L. Wolper/IDA Award International Documentary Association International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the... |
International Documentary Association | "Left Behind" | Best Student Documentary | Won |
See also
VanguardVanguard (TV series)
Vanguard is a television documentary series broadcast on the Current TV television network. Currently in its fifth season, Vanguard reports on such issues as the environment, drugs and the effects of globalization and conflict....
Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
Mariana van Zeller
Mariana van Zeller
Mariana van Zeller is a Portuguese journalist and former correspondent for the Vanguard documentary series on Current TV.-Biography:Van Zeller studied International Relations at the Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa...
Adam Yamaguchi
Adam Yamaguchi
Adam Yamaguchi is an Asian-American television correspondent and producer at Current TV, a cable network founded by former US Vice President Al Gore. He earned economics and communications degrees at UCLA, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Bruin newspaper...