May 18th 2009 at the 68th annual Peabody awards, Brian Williams hosted a room full of rare talents at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. He smiled as he announced the next winner of the prestigious award…Avatar the Last Airbender. He gave a brief but appropriate description of the series which was followed by a clip from the Western Air Temple. At the end of the clip, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Aaron Ehasz took to the stage to accept the award on behalf of all the amazing talents behind the success of the series. Mike spoke to the crowd as Bryan and Aaron stood slightly behind him, a humble yet proud look on their faces.

“This is really cool, this is crazy.

We are deeply humbled and grateful to accept this award for “Avatar.” Thank you to the Peabody board for this honor. And thanks to everyone who was part of the six year journey in bringing “Avatar” to life – all the talented and dedicated people at Nickelodeon both in New York and Los Angeles as well as the two animation studios in Seoul, South Korea – JM Animation and Moi Animation.
One of the questions people most often ask is: Why does “Avatar” – an animated kid’s show – appeal to so many different age groups? I think the main reason for its appeal is the show's theme of balance. From its inception, the series was always about Aang, a young hero who has the overwhelming task of restoring balance to a war torn world. While at the same time, he struggles with finding internal balance as he searches to understand who he is and his purpose in the world. No matter what age you are or what culture you’re from, this is a struggle we can all relate to.

Thank you.”

With that, the three left the stage while the crowd applauded their accomplishments. Congratulations again to the many talents that contributed to the show’s success. As fans, we are so proud of your work and hope to see more recognition and awards in your future.