The Platte Valley is now home to a six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee.
Lighting designer/technician and Emmy-nominee Allen Branton has worked on multiple televised events in the music, comedy, film and television industries for 40 years, and has lived in Encampment with his family since 2012. He received his most recent Primetime Emmy nomination for his work with the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which took place in Los Angeles April 18 and was shown on HBO May 18.
The category Branton received his nomination for was “Outstanding Lighting Design for a Variety Special.”
“They recently announced the nominations, and the primetime awards for the Emmys will be later in September, with the arts and crafts portion being Sept. 15,” Branton said. “My most recent project was ‘Women of Homecoming,’ which was with gospel music icons Bill and Gloria Gaither and filmed in Nashville. Up next I’ll be working on the upcoming Miss America Pageant.”
Working with major networks and some of the biggest names in the business, Branton’s other Emmy nominations for lighting design were for the CNN special “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” (2011), the Cher HBO special “Cher-Live in Concert” (1999) and the Diana Ross CBS special “Diana” (1981). He also won two Emmys for his work on Bette Midler’s “Diva Las Vegas” HBO special (1997) and the PBS special “Bluegrass Underground” (2012).
In addition to his Emmy nods, Branton also received a two CableACE awards. One was for Madonna’s “Madonna Live! Blond Ambition World Tour” HBO special (1990) and another was for the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
Originally hailing from Little Rock, Ark., Branton said he first developed the love for his craft while working on lighting for rock concerts in 1973. The first concert tours he worked on that year were for the Beach Boys, Three Dog Night and Leon Russell.
“I didn’t study lighting in college, but I was working as a musician and got into lighting as a temporary job back in 1973,” he said. “As a musician I played the saxophone and I started with lighting by doing rock shows, but then made the transition to TV as I got older.”
Branton said he vividly remembers the moment 38 years ago when he decided he wanted to do theatrical lighting design full-time for as long as possible, and Wyoming was where he wanted to live. As a fan of the great outdoors, Branton found Wyoming to be the perfect spot to have a home.
“This moment I knew I wanted to live here occurred during my first Wyoming holiday while standing in the upper reaches of the Gros Ventre River,” he said. “I had been at the lighting work for a little over two years and truly enjoyed the episodic rhythm of working intensely for weeks or months, followed by extended rest periods. That day in 1975 was the specific moment, fishing in a Wyoming trout stream, and I suppose that is also when the desire to live in Wyoming began.”
Happy he could live anywhere he wanted with his line of work, Branton said he eventually settled near Jackson with his wife, Gretel, in the early 1980s.
“My wife and I first moved to Wilson, Wyo. near Jackson, within six months of being married in 1982, and back then that area was more low-key and funky,” he said. “It was almost like the way Encampment and Riverside are now, I really liked that small, quiet vibe. We lived in Wilson from 1982 to 1999, and after we left Wyoming we decided we wanted to come back. In 2012 my family and I decided to settle in Encampment because of the great summer weather and fishing here, as well as the small-town life.”
Branton said his work has taken him all over the country and the world, to places including Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, South America, Australia and Japan. He said he enjoys being able to travel and live anywhere he chooses with what he calls fun, rewarding work.
“It’s a fun job, and I always feel privileged to be able to do it for a living,” Branton said. “I’m grateful that I’ve been able to keep it going for so long.”
Reader Comments(0)