CASPER, Wyo. — A documentary on fire spinner Miranda Bressler has fetched Casper filmmaker and video producer Anthony Stengel his second Heartland Regional Emmy nomination.
Stengel, who operates Stengel Media, was nominated for his first Emmy last year for a documentary called “Dying Light,” which told the story of Casper neon tube artist Connie Morgan. The documentary went on to win the award.
“We are excited to announce our short character doc ‘Fire Spinner’ has been nominated for an Emmy!” Stengel said on social media on Tuesday evening. “So incredibly honored and excited to be nominated — we will see you all at the Gala in Denver on July 15th!”
His latest documentary for “Fire Spinner” was again commissioned by Wyoming PBS for its series “Our Wyoming,” which also commissioned “Dying Light” in 2021.
“Each segment [of the series] is tied to a place, and so each of mine has been tied to a Casper story,” Stengel said in a recent interview with Oil City News after premiering his latest profile on Casper artist Betsy Bower. “Coincidentally, each one has been a female artist’s story. So it’s been really cool.”
Stengel said he enjoys his relationship with Wyoming PBS, which gives him complete control over the projects he chooses.
“They just let me do my thing,” he said. “I’ll go to them and pitch them a couple ideas, and they’re pretty agreeable with what I want to do.”
Stengel’s film was nominated in the Short Form Content category, which also includes nominations for Rocky Mountain Public Media, Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, and Twelve Legs Marketing.
According to the “Fire Spinner” online description, the short film is “a profile of Miranda Bressler, a lifelong rancher whose love of theater, dance, and entertaining drove her to develop a very special and unique skill — Fire Spinning.”
Stengel’s Emmy-nominated short film can be seen below:
