# Answer Bar Response % 1 (01) Books 0 0% 2 (02) Magazines 0 0% 3 (03) Newspapers 0 0% 4 (04) Commentary 0 0% 5 (05) Drama and Literature 0 0%

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1 Initial Report Last Modified: 01/12/ *AWARD CATEGORY Please select the award category you are entering (select one only): 1 (01) Books 0 0% 2 (02) Magazines 0 0% 3 (03) spapers 0 0% 4 (04) Commentary 0 0% 5 (05) Drama and Literature 0 0% 6 (06) Documentaries 0 0% 7 (07) Television 0 0% 8 (08) Radio 1 100% 9 (09) Other Media 0 0% 2. *AWARD CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate below the individual who is your contact for further communications (for purposes of awards notification, next year s entry materials, etc.): Dana Chivvis Producer Serial St., Suite dana@thislife.org 3. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION In the next question, please indicate key creative personnel for your entry (e.g., writer, director, producer, editor, designer, talent). Is the awards contact person also one of the key creative personnel? 4. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate 5. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate Dana Chivvis Producer Serial 153 W. 27th St., Suite dana@thislife.org 6. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Do you have

2 7. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate Julie Snyder Executive Producer Serial St, Suite *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Do you have 9. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate Sarah Koenig Host and Executive Producer Serial St, Suite 10. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Do you have 1 Yes 0 0% 2 No 1 100% 11. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate 12. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Do you have 13. *KEY CREATIVE PERSONNEL CONTACT INFORMATION Please indicate

3 14. *Entry title: Serial: Season One 15. *Date of entry's initial public release: October 4, *AUDIENCE Please provide estimates for entry's public impact (e.g., circulation [frequency and number], market share, distribution figures): average audience of 4.5 million per episode 17. *LENGTH OR DURATION Please indicate entry's word count, page length, or running time, as appropriate: 12 episodes 18. *Where can the public access or purchase the entry (e.g., online at specific web address)? *ENTRY ABSTRACT/SUMMARY Please provide a brief summary of your entry. Indicate how it meets the Gavel Awards objectives and criteria. Limit: 3000 characters. The first 100 words may be used as an abstract for program and promotional purposes, so make sure they effectively highlight your entry. Season One of Serial was a comprehensive look at the trial of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in The 12-part series questions the extent to which we can truly know another person, and how the legal system deals with that uncertainty in the course of prosecuting a crime. It's a sobering examination of the judicial process: the methods detectives use to identify suspects; the ability of a defense attorney to make or break a case; the nature of plea agreements; and life inside a maximum security prison. Adnan and Hae were seniors at a magnet high school in Baltimore County when she went missing in January, Adnan was arrested after a friend of his, a small-time weed dealer named Jay, told detectives Adnan had planned the murder, carried it out, and then forced Jay to help dispose of the body. Adnan has always maintained his innocence. The story caught the attention of Serial Host and Executive Producer Sarah Koenig because so many facts in the case seemed to cast doubt on the verdict: Adnan s lawyer, renowned defense attorney Cristina Gutierrez, was disbarred a year after losing his case. A classmate came forward to provide an alibi for Adnan, but Gutierrez never contacted her. Jay, the state s key witness, lied to detectives and changed his story multiple times. And aside from a few fingerprints in Hae Min Lee s car, there was no physical evidence tying Adnan to the crime. After a mistrial and a second, six-week trial, Adnan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. But it still wasn t clear what had actually happened to Hae. Jay said Adnan strangled her. Adnan said he had nothing to do with her murder. Both sides can t be telling the truth, and Sarah wanted to know who was lying. The first season of Serial follows her over the course of 15 months of reporting, including 40 hours of interviews with Adnan from prison, and interviews with more than 60 other people connected to the case friends, relatives, attorneys, detectives, and more. The Serial team dug through thousands of pages of documents, talked to sources who were never heard from in court, and spent countless hours examining two main pieces of evidence: Jay s testimony and Adnan s cell phone records. Season One of Serial aired in the fall of 2014, with weekly episodes appearing online every Thursday. The show quickly gained a huge global following and today, episodes of Serial have been downloaded more than 54 million times - an average of 4.5 million downloads per episode. Each week, a devoted Serial audience engaged in online and in-person discussions of the major themes of the show. Can we always trust the courts to do their job? Is there really a presumption of innocence? How do you weigh reasonable doubt? How often are the innocent sent to prison? What s a just punishment for murder? The er said, Serial gave millions of people what felt like a personal connection to the realities of criminal prosecution, and Slate said, Serial tells us that sometimes regular-seeming people do terrible things and then regular people investigate and prosecute those things. Listeners are constantly reminded that the issues central to the show are commonplace across the country. As the ACLU wrote, By questioning the validity of some criminal justice procedures and educating its listeners to ask questions, especially when someone's life is on the line, the

4 podcast has done a great public service: Because the case of Adnan Syed is not particularly unique. 20. *SUPPORTING INFORMATION You may selectively include additional information to help us evaluate your entry (especially regarding its impact upon the public), such as reviews, media coverage, letters from the public, or reports; transcripts or supplemental materials; previous awards and recognition for entry; and information on entry, producing organization or key creative personnel. Do not exceed ten 8½ x 11 pages or 2MB. You may provide Supporting Information by (1) providing a single URL linking to Supporting Information hosted online, (2) uploading a single PDF file of Supporting Information in the next field, or (3) ing a single PDF file to gavelawards@americanbar.org. Please select a Support Information sharing option: 1 I will a single PDF file of Supporting Information. 0 0% 2 I will provide a single URL linking to Supporting Information hosted online % 3 I will not provide any Supporting Information for this entry. 0 0% 4 I will upload a single PDF file of Supporting Information. 0 0% 21. Please upload Supporting Information, not exceeding ten 8½ x 11 pages, or 2 MB: 22. Please provide a single URL linking to Supporting Information hosted online: *How are you planning to submit the actual entry to the American Bar Association? 2 I plan to supply a URL to link to the actual entry online. (Opportunity to enter URL will appear in next question.) 1 100% 3 I will upload a single file of the actual entry (not exceeding 10 MB) 0 0% 1 I plan to ship a hard copy of the actual entry to the ABA. (Instructions will be included in the confirmation received upon submission of this form.) 0 0% 24. *ONLINE ENTRY SUBMISSION You are responsible for hosting your media online. List URLs below (e.g., to either a PDF or a web page). One URL preferred, no more than three permitted: URL 1: URL 2: URL 3: If your online entry is password protected, include password: *ONLINE ENTRY SUBMISSION Please upload a single file of the actual entry (not exceeding 10 MB): 26. *I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the information included in this submission for the 2015 Gavel Awards accurately and truthfully represents the

5 entry, its date of production or public release (MUST be during 2014), its impact and outreach; and that we have listed all co-producers or co-publishers of this entry. Should our entry be selected as a finalist or awardee, I also grant the American Bar Association the non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, or disseminate by any communications medium elements and excerpts from our entry and related materials for educational and promotional purposes and to archive one set of entry materials. 1 I certify, as noted % 27. In addition to the award contact, who else would you like to receive a confirmation of your submission (indicate addresses)? 1: 2: emily@thislife.org julie@thislife.org 28. random Value Total