Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - July 6, 2022

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK JULY 6, 2022
There are no studio lights or high- tech cameras. There’s no producer, di- rector or teleprompter operator, either. It’s just de Nies and Tsuji delivering quality local news content, from their homes to yours.
A “low production, high informa- tion” program, as de Nies describes it, Spotlight Hawai‘i was in the com- pany of colossal networks like CBS, which won for 60 Minutes, and MSN- BC (Afghanistan: The War at Home) this year.
“But at the same time, we live here, too,” she continues. “We have the same concerns that they do — Ryan
is a small-business owner in his other job, and I have two children ... so, we are very much with the audience.” #
One can imagine how incredible the feat is, then, to operate a statewide streaming news service as a two-per- son crew. Between de Nies and Tsuji, they serve as the booking agent, hair and makeup artist, IT department, sound engineer, researcher and more. Not to mention, they’re the hosts of the show, too.
In fact, the show — which is widely applauded for its ability to ask guests questions from viewers right then and there — won a Telly two years in a row (in 2021, it received an award for an episode featuring then-mayoral candidates Rick Blangiardi and Keith Amemiya), which serves as a testa- ment to de Nies and Tsuji’s drive, hard work and inherent talent, especially considering that the show was only
mind-blowing to me because the Tel- lys are a very respected award on an international stage. It’s hard to believe that we’re filming this from our homes and that we’re competing with some of the big names on the big networks, so it’s extremely humbling, flattering and honoring to be mentioned in the same breath as those wonderful news magazines and programs, and to be able to bring that home to Hawai‘i is always such a blessing and honor.”
“At the end of the day, we’re just having a conversation, trying to bring the audience along with us,” shares de Nies. “Because you’re on for 30 minutes with no commercials, it’s just like you’re having a conversation in the way you would if you invited the lieutenant governor or Ernie Lau to your house to answer questions for you and your friends. You wouldn’t be serious the entire time. That, to me, feels like you’re playing news person.
“He was so sad about what hap- pened to our water resources, and you just felt his emotion and his passion,” says de Nies. “After that interview, I remember thinking that we should enter this (for a Telly Award) because it was exactly the kind of content that we want to be bringing to people. You have a public official who is very passionate about what they’re doing, and we had the full 30 minutes with
What’s perhaps even more impres- sive, Spotlight Hawai‘i recently won
One of the award-winning epi- sodes featured Lt. Gov. Josh Green
SEE PAGE 5
“They have more people making their graphics than who’s on our whole team,” says de Nies with a laugh.
such high-level programs.”
Tsuji adds, “It’s always just
Both episodes, like everything that de Nies and Tsuji touch, contained a wealth of information, heartfelt sin- cerity and, at times, a hint of humor when it was appropriate.
In the episode with Lau, specifi- cally, he had to pause after getting choked up in the midst of speaking about the water crisis that has affect- ed thousands of residents.
Why are Ryan Kalei Tsuji and Yunji de Nies smiling so much these days? Probably because their triweekly streaming show ‘Spotlight Hawai‘i’ just earned them two Telly Awards.
From the comfort of their home offices, Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji broad- cast Spotlight Hawai‘i, a live, digital news program that airs at 10:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Face- book page.
two Telly Awards, an international recognition that honors video and television across all screens.
established more than two years ago. “We were surprised that we won the year before and we were even more surprised that we won twice this year,” says de Nies, smiling. “You kind of just submit it and then forget about it because it seems like such a long shot, especially this particular award because we’re competing with
(Aug. 20, 2021), who expounded on the delta variant surge, which was, at the time, sweeping the nation. Also earning a nod was a Dec. 10, 2021, show, during which Board of Water Supply’s chief engineer, Ernest “Er- nie” Lau, offered information about the Red Hill water crisis.
This is just us in our homes tackling serious topics.
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