On Aug. 26, the Ministry of Culture announced the nomination of original Taiwanese travel show Follow Alana for “Best lifestyle program host” at the 55th Golden Bell Awards.
The award ceremony for this year’s Golden Bell Awards takes place tomorrow at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
It is the second time that the show’s host, Alana Nichols (鄭雅文), who is hard of hearing, has been nominated for a prestigious Golden Bell Awards.
Photo courtesy of Aurora Digital Media
Made locally by a Taiwanese production team and fronted by its Taiwanese-American host, the in-depth travel show has already been honored with 10 international awards, including the Asia Television Awards and the Telly Awards — the Oscars of the video and television world.
After receiving such a positive response internationally, the show’s team is hopeful it will finally be recognized in Taiwan with a Golden Bell for its travel special on Switzerland.
Alana, who was born profoundly deaf, decided to push herself by pursuing a career in front of the camera.
However, it was not just about challenging herself, Alana also wanted to make a travel show that would bring to a Taiwanese audience different ideas and ways of thinking from all four corners of the world.
Alana says another reason she wanted to host the program was so that she could share her life story with as many people as possible and provide encouragement to children born with profound deafness to follow their dreams.
During the episode, Follow Alana in Switzerland Alana tries hang-gliding for the first time and captures a bird’s eye view of Switzerland, showcasing the majesty of the Swiss landscape from a unique perspective.
Alana also visits one of Switzerland’s famous watchmakers, samples some outstanding Swiss cheese and goes hiking with a Saint Bernard dog.
The host’s intrepid spirit is on full display when she takes a ride on the Glacier Express train, which takes her deep into an icy wonderland and right up to the foothills of Mount Matterhorn in the Alps.
Due to travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alana has had to postpone producing the next season of the travel show.
However, on learning of the nomination, Alana said she felt extremely humbled and immediately began to reminisce of her time filming in picturesque Switzerland and all of the stimulating outdoor activities.
The TV host says that she really misses traveling, but the nomination for a Golden Bell has reinvigorated her desire to continue exploring the world and says she cannot wait to create more heart-warming content for her fans.
Follow Alana airs on Eastern Broadcasting Corp (EBC) every Friday at 11pm and repeats every Saturday at 11am.
Readers can also follow Alana via her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/followalana) as well as on YouTube and Instagram.
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