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Alumnus wins Emmy for ‘Heroes’

By Abigail Bolin

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Achieving lifelong goals can sometimes be as fickle as a special effect. Especially if you are battling a galactic starship with a cast of heroes trying to save the world, and occasionally win an Emmy for your work. What could have been a tragic ending to this story became an evening of success for a University alumnus at the Emmys.”

Chris Martin, 2003 graduate, and his team from Stargate Studios in Pasadena, Ca., won an Emmy this month for their special effects in the TV series “Heroes” at the 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, after losing to “Battlestar Galactica” the previous two years.

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Contributed Photo

Alumnus Chris Martin smiles as he holds his Emmy award. Martin won the award for special effects in the TV show "Heroes."

“I set a goal for us after season one to win an Emmy,” Martin said. “I didn’t want to just wait for the competition to go away. We were going to earn it.”

Martin got involved with special effects while making movies and participating in the student organization KU Filmworks before earning a degree in film in 2003.

Matt Jacobson, associate professor of film and media studies, said he remembered Martin vividly. He said knowing one of his own students won an Emmy made him feel “pretty darn good.”

“Chris really stood out,” Jacobson said. “His work was incredible. He had his wits about him. It doesn’t surprise me to think he went out there and made a name for himself. Anyone could’ve taken a look at his work and tell he was heading for success.”

Spoofing “The Matrix” and “Lord of the Rings” into informational videos for freshmen on how to use the libraries, “Library: Revolution” and “Lord of the Libraries” showed Martin’s talent for special effects during his senior year. In March 2003, Martin and fellow film student Jeff Ruggles created Out of Focus, a film festival to showcase local aspiring filmmakers at Liberty Hall.

Martin said the extensive background in film he acquired at the University allowed him to confidently head out to California after graduation.

“I thought I’d give it a try,” Martin said. “After two weeks, I was working at Stargate Studios.”

Five years later, Chris Martin is the Digital Compositing Supervisor at Stargate and an Emmy winner. He traded the University classrooms of Oldfather Studios for the sets of TV shows such as “Ugly Betty” and “24,” and has moved on from making informative library movies to creating the ferry crash sequence on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Although Martin’s success, including four previous Emmy nominations, has led him far away from his alma mater, he said a fellow Jayhawk is never hard to find.

“There’s a tight-knit group of KU alumni out here,” Martin explained. “It’s remarkable to see how many Jayhawks there are in southern California. The key grip guy from ‘Ugly Betty’ turned out to be from KU.”

In the midst of big-time success, Martin stays involved with the next generation of film students emerging from the University. He recently hired Franco Leng, 2007 graduate, to join his team. During his freshman year, Leng worked with Martin on the library features. Leng’s creativity and work ethic stood out, which is why after graduation Martin told him to pack his bags and move out to California.

“Students coming out of KU have the talent to compete at the highest level,” Martin said. “The knowledge and experience of those students is comparable to the graduates of the big-time film schools.”

Patrick Monroe, Overland Park junior in film and media studies, said he found inspiration from Martin’s success story. Knowing he can compete with students from notable film schools such as the University of Southern California renewed his dream of a career in the film industry.

“It’s always good to see someone succeed who has learned from the same pool of knowledge as you,” Monroe, Overland Park junior, said. “It shows that you don’t need to go to USC to advance in the film and TV world. It gives me hope.”

The magnitude of winning an Emmy is apparent to Madison Lacy, associate professor of film and media studiesand four-time Emmy award winner.

“The bottom line for these kinds of awards is that your work is evaluated by your peers,” Lacy said. “That’s what makes them significant.”

Since Martin has reached his goal of winning an Emmy, his next aspirations are unclear.

“Now I’ll just have to win an Oscar, then maybe a Grammy,” Martin joked. “The sky’s the limit.”

— — Edited by Sarah Kelly

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