CAZENOVIA – An Oxford High School graduate and recent Emmy award winner is taking the documentary world by storm. Lukas Korver, director, camera and editor, has a story that highlights the importance of diligence and determination. Before winning Emmy awards and dealing with giants like FaceBook, Duracell, Under Armour, Vans, Sports Illustrated and Guess by Marciano, he was a student who chose to pursue his passion for film as a career.

“I love getting shoved into someone else's world... meeting people you would never normally meet,” said Korver.

Thus far he has been to every continent in the world, except for Antarctica, and has worked in almost every major city in the United States. Ironically, he works with Hollywood stars and interviews numerous people with extraordinary stories, yet describes himself as a former loner with a history of shyness.

For him, this ability to be solitary has had benefits in that he often spends tens of hours alone working on planning, editing and formatting his productions. While his numerous awards and highly demanding clients speak of his success and ability to create art with film, his start is similar to many of those living in the area.

“Growing up in Chenango County prepared me in a lot of ways,” he said. “There is a humility and kindness that you maybe wouldn't have learned in another place and an understanding that nothing is going to be given to you.”

Both of his parents and step-mother worked as teachers and Korver explained that this was helpful later on as he determined his career path.

“I wasn't constrained,” he said. His family did not demand that he get a structured, high powered job after college. “It wasn't 'What are you doing to make money?' but 'How are you contributing and, most importantly, do you enjoy what you’re doing?'”

Korver had always preferred creating videos to writing papers in high school – a propensity that reemerged when he joined the communications department at Newhouse at Syracuse University. There he majored in television and film production – skills which he quickly employed when he decided to follow a civil rights violation themed story in Florida after graduation.

After this experience he explained, “I set on making it my career but that didn't happen for another five years.”

Shortly after his escapade in Florida, in late 2003, he moved to Los Angeles.