WINNIPEG – APTN Northern Camera Operator Luke Smith has been named the 2007 recipient of the Stan Clinton Award for News Essay and Cinematography.
Smith (pictured), a Métis camera editor/operator at the APTN Whitehorse Bureau, won the award from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers for his spectacular filming of the Porcupine caribou herd and the people who rely on it. It is the first time anyone outside the big three networks (CBC, CTV, Global TV) has received this honour. 
"We have long known the talent and expertise that our staff brings to our network, so it is particularly satisfying that Luke’s contributions have been recognized on such a grand scale," said APTV CEO Jean LaRose.
The four minute news essay, titled Caribou Matter, features the herd as it migrates past the Arctic village of Old Crow (Yukon) and the Vuntut Gwich’in people during the harvest. The piece demonstrates how relationships amongst this indigenous group depend upon and are defined by the caribou. It was written by APTN¹s Whitehorse correspondent, Roxanne Livingstone, and produced by Janet Leader, APTN’s Northern producer.
