Yolo YoYo’s Reality Show Finalist at West Region WAVE Awards – Daily Democrat

Yolo Yoyo’s – a reality TV show that follows the adventures of a father, daughter and friends as they explore Yolo County – is a Western Region finalist for the WAVE Awards (Western Access Video Excellence).

Chris Hennessy directs and produces the show and it now airs on public television in Sacramento, Davis and Woodland for two seasons.

His daughter, Hannah Hennessy, 12, and her friends Macey Davison, Josie Gibbs, Allison Hulbert, Paige Hulbert and Ella Townsend are all featured on the show.

“I’m so proud of the girls for their patience, their professionalism, their enthusiasm and their talents,” Hennessy said. “We have had so many enriching experiences together and this is one of the best.”

Hennessy was diagnosed with prostate cancer before Hannah was born and recently discovered it had spread to her lungs with blood clots.

“I try to live life as usual, in the moment,” he said. “Instead of sitting around worrying, I’m busy fulfilling my potential and having fun.”

Hennessy submitted two episodes, including “Miracles on College Street,” which tells the story of her battles with cancer as well as the struggles of her daughter’s premature birth in the pageant. Both episodes were chosen from the top five finalists, according to Hennessy.

“In 2009 we had a lot of problems and Hannah was born several months premature at one pound,” Hennessy said. “Just a few weeks before that, I had cancer surgery.”

Hennessy also wrote a memoir, “Touched by Hannah”, detailing their fight for life – he with cancer and she with a premature birth.

“I was there watching Hannah in the incubator on day one with life-threatening blood clots and my feet all swollen and sore and the doctor came up to us and said, ‘Mr Hennessy, Hannah is fighting for her life. right now,” he recalls. “I just couldn’t believe I was hearing those words.”

The competition includes productions from 55 West Coast television stations. The winning episodes will be announced at the 2022 ACM Regional Conference and WAVE Awards Ceremony on April 1 at the Holiday Inn in San Jose.

The story continues below the video.

Hennessy said he was shocked to hear that both episodes were finalists because he thought the show peaked when it was named Best New TV Series for Sacramento.

“When we got Best New TV Series for Sacramento Channels 17 and 18 in 2019, I thought maybe this was as good as it gets,” he said.

However, now Hennessy and her daughter will be able to attend the event and find out if they win the prize.

“Just to be nominated and to be a finalist, we’ve already won,” Hennessy explained. “I never thought we’d be in the top five finalists with the two shows I submitted.”

Hennessy is a retired filmmaker who made short films for Apple and Google and filmed weddings and other events in Silicon Valley before moving to Woodland four years ago.

“In my career, I produced 2,000 films including around 1,200 weddings and events,” he said. “All that grinding made me the producer and director I am today.

The Hennessys originally moved to Woodland to be closer to family who lived in Davis. However, he eventually fell in love with the city and county after exploring it, which led him to create the show.

“There’s nothing I love more than being with my daughter, Hannah…and I started thinking I wanted to do some kind of show with Hannah,” he explained.

Explaining the origin of the show’s name, Hennessy said it came to him while walking next to someone using a YoYo next to a Yolo County sign.

With a name and a simple premise of exploring the county, Hennessy slowly began brainstorming ideas.

“I wanted a name that people would remember…but I didn’t really have a game plan,” he added.

Eventually Hannah would include her friends and they began filming episodes around Woodland traveling to local events like First Friday.

Three years later, they were able to meet senators, mayors and “all kinds of cool people,” according to Hennessy.

However, Hennessy said they are now looking beyond doing more seasons locally.

“We’re just going to try to focus on things like Netflix and Amazon Prime,” he pointed out. “It will be a learning experience… but there is no doubt that we will get there.”

While he’s not sure they’ll be able to get a deal, Hennessy said he’s just happy his daughter and her friends have learned a lot from the experience and can take some of what they’ve learned back home. with them in the future.

“There are things that will always be part of our family,” he added. “The experience has given Hannah and all the girls the opportunity to perform on camera and they are all very good at it. Getting up in front of people and talking…gives the girls the confidence they will carry for the rest of their life.

If you want to watch the award-winning show, visit facebook.com/yoloyoyos or Yolo YoYo’s YouTube channel.