How Important Are the Daytime Emmys? Industry Insiders Speak Out!

There’s no doubt that the Daytime Emmy Awards play a large part of the daytime industry, but just how prevalent is the golden statue when it comes to the every day work lives of the people who make up the genre? Soap Opera Network spoke with performers, writers, producers and more to get their take on how often and how much the Emmys impact their work lives. Does the event and its promised accolades inspire them to work harder? Do they keep the Emmys in mind when filming, writing and performing scenes? And are the Emmy awards really necessary for the industry? There are varying opinions, so read on to find out what some of the genre’s heavy hitters had to say!

Adds Elizabeth Hendrickson (ex-Chloe Mitchell, “Y&R”): “I’ve been nominated twice, and the first time I got nominated, when I got that script, I said, ‘This is my Emmy show,’ and I got nominated. And this year it happened for the second time: I said, ‘This is my Emmy show,’ and I got nominated.”

“It’s also changed,” she continues. “This is my 10th year being in daytime, so I’ve been through it a lot, and years ago, you used to be able to choose two shows, so you got to show a range. And it’s really hard, because a lot of our shows, you don’t carry out a full arc in one show; a lot of the times, you’re broken up in the middle and you pick it up in the next show. So [having one episode that shows a full arc] doesn’t happen for us as much. It just happens once in a blue moon. So you just cross your fingers and toes that there is just one show that’s going to come out that you can just sink your teeth into and knock it out. And when they said, ‘Baby’s dying,’ I knew it was it! The fans were horrified, I was upset because I loved the actress who played my daughter, and it’s always horrible to kill a child, but I knew that for my career, it was probably going to be a good moment.”

And the same can be said for the executive level. Angelica McDaniel, Senior Vice President of CBS Daytime, says that she definitely notices Emmy-worthy moments throughout the year. “When they happen, yes,” she enthuses. “For example, on ‘The Talk,’ we do 240 episodes, and the same with soaps, we do 250, and the game show, a couple of hundred, so you definitely think, ‘Whoa, earmark this one! This could be a worthy contender.’ So in the moment, you feel that magic, and you definitely say, ‘Let’s remember this one.’

However, the CBS exec says that it’s not necessarily something that drives them throughout the year. “In the day to day, when we’re thinking about how to make the shows bigger, better and bolder tomorrow than they are today, we’re never using an Emmy as the benchmark,” she explains. “That’s not what’s driving us. It really is about creating great shows that our viewers want to watch and that they want to watch more frequently. However, having said that, the Emmys [serve as] the pinnacle of everyone’s efforts. There are thousands of people who work in daytime, in morning, in children’s programming and the fringe hours, and they work for the prestige of being nominated by your peers and being recognized by your peers and taking home an Emmy. So while it’s not the day-to-day motivation, it’s definitely something that you look forward to all year round.”

Multiple Emmy-award winning actress Heather Tom (Katie Logan, “B&B”) also says she’s not thinking about the Emmys throughout the year. “Honestly, I’m not thinking about it at all,” she says. “I’m thinking about doing my job and doing the best job I can do. The Emmys are great, and they’re fun, and we have a great time. And if you win, great. And if you lose, listen, I’ve lost a lot. You still have fun. So it’s a nice pat on the back, but really going to work every day is my real reward.”