American Masters and Downton Abbey led the opening round of the annual Primetime Emmys Sept. 15 by claiming three Creative Arts Emmys for PBS.
American Masters, a production of New York’s WNET, topped the category for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. Credit for the Emmy went to Susan Lacy, executive producer; Julie Sacks, supervising producer; Prudence Glass, series producer; and Jessica Levin, producer. The Emmy for direction in nonfiction programming was awarded to Robert Trachtenberg for his direction of the American Masters biography “Mel Brooks: Make a Noise.”
Downton Abbey, the hit British drama co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece, received the Emmy for music composition in a series. Credit went to composer John Lunn.
The Creative Arts Emmys are presented one week prior to the star-struck Primetime Emmy ceremony and focus on primarily behind-the-scenes categories related to television crafts. HBO won the most awards of the night, with 20.
An edited version of the Creative Arts ceremony will be telecast on cable network FXX Sept. 21, the day before the Primetime Emmys.