Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker Calls Peachtree Corners Home

Unlikely bond between a Braves player and Mets fan earns local filmmaker an Emmy.

As the 20-year anniversary of 9/11 approached last year, Kevin Allison and Bally Sports South/Southeast Braves knew the best way to mark the solemn occasion was to look back on the singular importance one baseball game made toward the first steps of healing. When the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets took to the field for the first sporting event after the September 11 attacks, it was about much more than winning or losing.

The 7½ minute short documentary, More Than A Game — Braves at Mets — 9/11 Remembrance, recently won a Southeast Regional Emmy Award from the Southeast chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Peachtree Corners resident Kevin Allison edited and produced the film, along with chief photographer Gregg Therieau.

Healing through sports

“During the pandemic in 2020, there were a lot of discussions about missing sports and how sports help in the healing process,” said Kevin. “We were doing a lot of historical content at the beginning of the pandemic. A lot of former players — Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Tom Glavine, a lot of those guys — would refer back to their time during September 11 and how sports helped people process the tragedy.”

Knowing that a year later was going to be the 20th anniversary of those tragic events, Kevin began doing a lot of research, looking at old photos and raw footage from the Braves versus Mets game that took place just 10 days after the historic terrorist attacks. He kept coming across photos of Brian Jordan with a Mets family whose hero father/husband had perished during the World Trade Center attacks.

With one iconic image of Jordan embracing the overcome-with-emotion widow, Carol Gies, Kevin knew he had found the storytelling connection he needed.

“Come to find out, they had stayed in touch a little bit through the years,” said Kevin. “During the making of the feature, we actually reconnected the two of them as well.” Gies remembers the night and the painful memories surrounding those early post-9/11 days, but credits Jordan with helping her family tremendously by coming over and saying the kind words that he did.

Connecting stories to the human element

Piecing together a story and finding the personal connection is what Kevin seems to enjoy most about his work. From the time he began filming interviews for the feature film to editing those 7½ minutes took about a month of work. Before beginning interviews, from the time research began, was closer to a year.

Most Braves fans will remember a Mets homerun sealed the game for the home team that night. Most fans also accept that Mets win as how the game needed to end.

When asked about his approach to documentary filmmaking, Kevin stated, “For me, it has always been: what’s the connection and how do I connect the storytelling to get the human element? Especially when it comes to sports, you can be fans of the team, but how do you find the human interest for an individual?”

Kevin’s wife, Jaclyn Allison, is often the first audience to judge that emotional connection. As Director Marketing, Communications and Events at Partnership Gwinnett, Jaclyn understands the subtleties of good communication and, for her job, how to create events that will draw on an individual’s or group’s desire to engage.

Jaclyn’s work with Partnership Gwinnett

Partnership Gwinnett is a public/private initiative designed to drive “economic prosperity by attracting, expanding and retaining quality businesses; aligning and developing diverse talent; and contributing to the exceptional quality of life in Gwinnett County.”

“We have three different goal areas,” explained Jaclyn. “We focus on business development, recruiting and retaining business in our community, talent development — so we work with the university and school systems to build up our talent pool, and then our community development — working a lot with entrepreneur development and small business culture.

Within our goal one, business development, we focus on five target sectors: manufacturing, supply chain, technology solutions, health sciences and services and then corporate and professional services. Anything that falls within those sectors we focus on and work with our community to bring here.”

Jaclyn works on a number of events that target those sectors. She’s currently working to bring The State of Technology Summit to Peachtree Corners November 10 at Atlanta Tech Park. It will bring together keynotes and speakers to talk about trends and best practices in the technology sector.

She’s also very proud of her husband’s work and was the first to share that his latest Emmy is not his first. In fact, this is his eighth Southeast Regional Emmy Award.

Kevin’s dream career and life

It all comes from an honest place. Kevin Allison has been a huge sports fan his whole life and he readily admits he just enjoys TV. Combining those passions into a career is the dream.
For “More Than A Game – Braves at Mets – 9/11 Remembrance,” he took a lot of care. “For something that impacted so many people, even if it was 20 years ago — and out of respect for Carol who was still willing to tell this story 20 years later — for me the goal was what’s the most respectful way to tell this story,” Kevin stated.

Kevin was proud and happy this film was recognized, not so much for the personal accolades, but because of the story and the people involved. “I work with Brian Jordan every day and he is one of the best people to work with and one of the kindest people in this community,” said Kevin. Being able to share Carol and Brian’s story meant being able to recognize two of many special individuals who made a difference in those very challenging days post 9/11.

Introducing you to Kevin and Jaclyn would not be complete without sharing that their Peachtree Corners family is currently a busy one, with three young children ages one, three and four. The little ones haven’t been to see the Braves play yet, but it’s inevitable. We anticipate you’ll also be seeing each of those young ones on the ballfields in and around Peachtree Corners soon.

Allow yourself seven and a half minutes, grab a tissue and be inspired by More Than A Game – Braves at Mets – 9/11 Remembrance.

Kevin Allison’s 9 Emmy Awards

■ 2022, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Sports Story — News, More Than A Game — Braves at Mets — 9/11 Remembrance | Bally Sports South/Southeast (formerly Fox Sports South/Southeast)
■ 2021, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Sports Program — Live — Series, Community Heroes Week | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2016, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Documentary: Topical — Driven: Michael Waltrip Racing — Life in the Pits | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2014, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Television News and Program Specialty Excellence Category: Sports Program Series — DRIVEN: THE CHIPPER JONES STORY | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2013, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Television News and Program Specialty Excellence Category: Sports Program Series — DRIVEN: Tougher. Faster. Stronger. The 2013 Bobcats Draft | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2013, College Sports Media Award: Outstanding Achievement, Regional/Local Networks: Program Series — Under The Lights: Southern Miss Baseball | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2013, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Television News and Program Specialty Excellence Category: Sports Program Series — Under the Lights: Southern Miss Baseball | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2009, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Television Programming Excellence Category: Interview/Discussion — In My Own Words: Charles Barkley | Fox Sports South/Southeast
■ 2007, Southeast Regional Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement, Television News & Program Specialty Excellence Category: Sports News Program — University of Tennessee Hoops Preview | Fox Sports South/Southeast