The Television Academy Visits the Air Force
Visiting the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences before hosting members on a visit to March Air Reserve Base to fly on a KC-135 Stratotanker. July 2024
Visiting the Academy back in April 2024
You may remember me mentioning that I "received” an Emmy (technically speaking — don’t worry about the finer details) back in April. I visited the Academy (no, not the United States Air Force Academy -- but THE Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) on the advice from the great Monica Banken with hopes of increasing awareness about how the Air Force and United States Space Force can offer help to creatives that want learn more about getting help with military depiction.
The result of that April meeting was Tuesday’s tour of March Air Reserve Base (near Riverside, CA). Gabriele Almon, Senior Director at the Academy, rallied Academy members to hang out with us for a day of flying and learning about Airpower. (Kudos to members of your favorite U.S. Air Force Entertainment Liaison office, including Develyn Watson, Capt Jasmine Manning, and Sara Francis for working with the Academy to make it happen!)
The KC-135 Stratotanker
We had a quick meeting with the Commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing (Colonel Bryan Bailey,) then Major Perry Covington’s Public Affairs team helped our guests hop on a KC-135 Stratotanker to witness an aerial refueling. (Why would anyone want to transfer gas from one plane to another in mid-air? The proper answer is it increases the speed and distance the Air Force can travel to dominate the sky. But, we liked Col Bailey’s answer better: “Because we CAN!”)
Perhaps the most impactful event of the day was simply allowing Airmen from the base to share their personal stories with Academy members. They enjoyed listening to the women and men of the 452nd discuss how they function as Reservists while still being a part of the local community. The Airmen had fun posing and taking selfies with a real Emmy award.
Your favorite U.S. Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office has been busy, working to increase awareness about military depiction in entertainment projects. We look forward to more trips like this in the future!
