Mayor Mitch Roth on Monday hosted a meeting to recognize Lito Arkangel, Tracey Niimi and Bruce Torres Fischer for their work on the Pono Pledge.
Arkangel, Niimi and Torres Fischer recently won the 2022 Silver Telly Award, the highest honor, for the Island of Hawaii’s Pono Pledge video.
The short video advocates for mindful, safe and pono (righteous) interactions by travelers while on the Big Island. The video, in Hawaiian and English, plays on some Hawaiian Airlines flights.
The award was in the Online General, Public Interest/Awareness category.
Arkangel directed and produced the Pono Pledge video featuring Hawaii Island residents who embody the pledge and apply it in their everyday lives.
Niimi of TN Photography assisted with the video’s creative direction and videography.
The entire Pono Pledge and its website were translated into Hawaiian by Torres Fischer, a master’s student of the Hawaiian language and literature program at the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
The idea of the Pono Pledge came about four years ago when the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau wanted a way to communicate with and educate visitors on traversing the island with respect, and also giving back to protect the island’s natural resources and wildlife.
“I think the foundation of everything we are trying to do is based on our state and national motto, everything in its authenticity,” Arkangel said. “Everywhere we go in the world, we all want to see everything in its authenticity, and I’m fully supportive of enhancing our ability to share that authenticity to people who visit and reside here.”
The Telly Awards are long-standing awards that recognize the best work created for television and online.
Arkangel, Niimi, Torres Fischer and the IHVB won the award, along with recipients such as Al Jazeera Digital, Comcast Creative Services, Heart Television and NBC News.
The Pono Pledge can be found at https://www.ponopledge.com/.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
