Hot Rod: The Clown Prince of Basketball won the Nostalgia category during the 55th Annual Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards on August 10, 2019 in Louisville, KY, presented by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Ohio Valley Chapter. Hot Rod is a documentary chronicling the flamboyant life of basketball great and West Virginia native Rod Hundley, an unforgettable player and broadcaster, who used the game to achieve heights no one could have imagined. Morgantown native and director/producer at Pikewood Creative, Dan Lohmann, directed and edited the film.
“Many people knew Hot Rod Hundley as just a basketball player or an announcer, but didn’t know the story of where he actually came from and the struggles he faced in his life,” Lohmann said. “As we started to uncover the layers of who Hot Rod was, it became obvious that he was a deeply complex character. The contributions of his daughters brought to light many things people had never known about Hot Rod. Their incredibly open and authentic appearances took the film to an entirely different level.”
Pikewood Creative interviewed over 30 basketball and broadcast luminaries and traveled to six states during production. The film features comments from many of Hundley’s broadcast partners including Jim Nantz, Dick Enberg, and Brent Musburger.
“We’re thrilled to receive Emmy recognition for this project,” said Tony Caridi, managing partner of Pikewood Creative. “Over a three year period, this movie became a labor of love. At long last, Hot Rod Hundley’s amazing life story has been told. Rod was truly one-of-a-kind and we’re honored to have had the chance to share the life of an unforgettable Mountaineer.”
Pikewood Creative, formed in 2003, is a mixed-media company based in Morgantown, WV that works nationally and locally on commercials, videos, and documentaries. Dan Lohmann previously worked in the production department for the Olympics in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 for the host broadcaster. Inducted into the Morgantown High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018, this is the second Emmy for Lohmann and third overall for Pikewood Creative.
Hot Rod: The Clown Prince of Basketball is now available on Amazon Prime for rent or purchase and has a five-star rating.
