By GREGORY ZELLER //
A Long Island communications cornerstone has burnished its impressive legacy with a prestigious New York Emmy Award nomination.
Known primarily for its comprehensive marketing and PR services, Edgewood-based Lorraine Gregory Communications is now an Emmy candidate, landing July 26 among the nominees for the 67th Annual New York Emmy Awards.
The firm – which has delved deep into video production since the 2018 launch of Lorraine Gregory Studios – is one of three nominees in the regional program’s Human Interest-Long Form Content category, earning the nod for “The Garbageman: A Life Worth Living.”
The documentary film chronicles the story of Robbie Donno, co-owner of New Jersey-based businesses Lemcor Transport, an interstate freight hauler, and Lemocor Solid Waste Transfer Station. In 1975, Donno founded Gift of Life International, a global 501(c)3 charity focused on children with congenital heart defects.
A graduate of now-defunct La Salle Military Academy, which closed its doors in Oakdale in 2001, Donno is a self-described “garbageman who does heart surgery on the side” – and was the perfect subject for an inspiring documentary film, according to Lorraine Gregory Communications CEO Greg Demetriou.
Greg Demetriou: Win or lose, a big win.
“Robbie’s story is one of hope and resilience,” Demetriou noted.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Richard Poggioli, the 24-minute film showcases Donno’s rise from Long Island garbageman to successful entrepreneur to the driving force behind an organization credited with saving more than 50,000 lives to date.
It discusses the stereotypes and unfair accusations Donno faced as an Italian American in the waste-hauling business, his life-changing decision to join the local chapter of Rotary International and his efforts to bring a young Ugandan girl to Roslyn’s St. Francis Hospital for life-saving heart surgery – the start of his Gift of Life crusade.
Poggioli, LGC’s director of video services and a fellow Rotarian, spends much of the “The Garbageman” highlighting Rotary International’s selfless work.
“Watching [the Rotary] mission come alive in this film is incredibly heartwarming,” he noted.
But it’s very much Donno’s story, according to the director, who calls the film “a labor of love and a tribute to the incredible legacy of Robbie Donno.”
“It is a powerful reminder of the impact one person can have on the world,” Poggioli added.
Donno said his story and the film are less a personal victory than an inspirational anecdote.
Robbie Donno: Transforming lives.
“It’s not only about the surgeries – it’s about transforming lives, both theirs and ours,” the entrepreneur/philanthropist noted. “It’s about healing families and restoring hope for those still waiting for [Gift of Life’s] assistance.
“I am deeply grateful to LGC Studios for bringing our story to the screen.”
“The Garbageman: A Life Worth Living” faces stiff competition in the Human Interest-Long Form Content category. The other nominees are “Appalachia Heart,” a production of Rochester-based EPIC 10 film studios directed by four-time New York Emmy-winner Don Casper, and “Challah & Chutzpah,” an episode of “Table For All with Buki Elegbede,” a cinematic docu-series produced by New Jersey PBS.
Lorraine Gregory’s nominee is scheduled to drum up some local support Sept. 8 with several screenings at Manhasset Cinemas. The special event, slated to run from 3-6 p.m., will include a symbolic recognition of Gift of Life International’s 50,000th saved life.
Win, lose or draw at the 67th Annual Emmy Awards – scheduled for Oct. 26 at the New York Marriott Marquis – the nomination is an enormous deal for Lorraine Gregory Studios and its parent communications firm, according to Demetriou.
“The Emmy nomination is a significant milestone for the company,” the CEO said. “It’s testament to the talent and dedication of our LGC Studios team.”
