Me and My Emmy: Karin Fong

Primetime Emmy Tally: Two

How She Got the Gold: For Outstanding Main Title Design on Masterpiece Theatre’s American Collection on PBS in 2001, and for Starz’s Counterpart in 2018

Now for the Noms: Fong has seven nominations for main title design.

Beginner’s Luck: “The first time I won was also my first nomination. Our team was so shocked! I can recall thanking all of our parents for sending us to art school, and one of my colleagues reached forward to pet the statue while I spoke. He wasn’t sure if we would all get one later, and he wanted to make sure he got his chance to touch it.”

Fast Forward: “The second time I won I had a better sense of how the evening progresses, but it’s no less a thrill. The surprise might have even been heightened after 17 years! It was cool to share the moment with my husband. We finally got to toast a win together.”

Home Improvement: “My first Emmy statue is on the piano at my mom’s house, next to my high school graduation picture. I haven’t found a permanent home for the second. I was thinking of bringing it to work, but my kids insisted on having it around a while longer.”

Deep Dive: “One of my favorite parts of the job is becoming immersed in another world — talking with the showrunners, reading the scripts, watching whatever footage is available and researching related history, music and art.”

High on Hybrids: “Looking back, I was doing titles before I really even knew what they were. My childhood Super 8 films started with stop-motion animated letters, cut out of paper. Then, as now, I was drawn to creating hybrid images — visuals that could combine live action, illustration, photography and type.

At Imaginary Forces we design all kinds of sequences, including television titles. I feel very lucky to be working at this intersection of design and filmmaking.”

Click for more Me and My Emmy articles.

This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 6, 2019