McClure, Ill., native receives Emmy

Scott Tucker, a native of McClure, Ill., flew home recently from California with a special carry-on -- an Emmy statuette.

Susan McClanahan, friend of Tucker for more than 40 years and a columnist for the Southeast Missourian, said she found out about his award through a text message.

"He e-mailed me and told me he was being nominated," she said. "When I got the text saying he won, I was so excited."

Tucker is a director for on-air special projects for ABC daytime shows "General Hospital," "One life to Live," "All My Children" and "The View." Tucker's hard work and dedication behind the scenes landed him an Emmy award in the category Outstanding Promotional Announcement -- Episodic for a 20-episode series of "General Hospital" called "Graffiti," starring actor James Franco.

Tucker's behind-the-scenes work with ABC was recognized June 25 during an off-air Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held separately from the Daytime Emmy Award show that aired recently on CBS.

Tucker said the creative art awards are for people who work on things like hair, makeup, sound and music. He received a local Emmy Award in 1999, but this is his first network Emmy. He was also awarded June 24 with the Promax gold award for a "One Life to Live" promotion. Tucker said the Promax is equivalent to the Oscars for media promotion professionals.

Although Tucker acknowledged himself as a hard worker in his profession, he said he never thought he would earn an Emmy.

"I never thought about it, I just knew I would have a creative force somewhere," he said. "I set life goals for myself and I met them."

Tucker traced his decision to work in television as far back as when he was 12 years old. He said he was a fan of the show "Little House on the Prairie," and he knew from that point he wanted to be involved with the business.

"I was fascinated with the time change," Tucker said. He said being able to see the 1800s on screen made him curious about the creative process.

His father, Bob Tucker, said his son showed an interest in media at an early age.

"Even in high school, he would always have a tape recorder in his hands," he said.

Tucker said he prepared himself for the professional world early on. While studying in the Department of Mass Media at Southeast Missouri State University, he worked at KFVS12 on "The Breakfast Show" and said it provided a good basis for his career.

"I would go to bed at 6 p.m. and be at work at 3:30 a.m.," he said. "I didn't have much of a college life, but that's what I wanted."

Tucker soon moved to Nashville, Tenn., to work with its local CBS station. He then moved to Louisville, Ky., and worked with ABC for around 10 years, which lead to a top manager position in Kansas for CBS. Tucker moved to the West Coast and worked for NBC in Sacramento, Calif. In 2001, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he is currently working.

Tucker's responsibilities include creating a 60-second tease for the daytime shows. He said on average he has about three weeks to work on one promotion. He said the biggest difference from when he started working in the television business is the budget he's allowed to work with.

"Back when I started out, I didn't have a budget to produce [pieces]," he said. "I had news clips to work with, and now my budget can range from $100,000 and go up to $200,000."

Tucker said he is happy with his current position but does have a few ideas for future projects.

"I've always wanted to produce my own TV show," he said. "I have ideas for a possible soap that involves a character from a small town who goes out west and works in television. Kind of like my life, but more drama."