Hundreds of hours of filming and thousand of miles of travel by television producer Keith Famie paid off June 7, when he and his “Our Story” documentary series co-creator Chris Kassel received four Michigan Emmy awards.

“Our Arab American Story,” which aired on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) last December, was awarded in the Societal Concerns-Program/Special Category.

The Michigan chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences held the 30th annual Michigan Emmy awards at the Gem Theater in Detroit on June 7.

Famie’s Visionalist Entertainment Productions also won two Emmys for “Our Greek Story,” and one for “Our Polish Story.”

The series was nominated eight times overall this year.

Visionalist took home three Emmys last year for “Our Italian Story.”

Famie, a chef, cookbook author and former “Survivor” contestant, created the series with Kassel with the idea of documenting the voices of community elders.

The idea came to Famie after his father’s death in 2004, when he realized he never really recorded his father telling his story.

“They have so much to say and nobody really takes the time to listen to them,” Famie said.

Recording the stories of local elders evolved into a series about different groups of various ethnic backgrounds.

“The Arab American one was the most difficult to do,” Famie said. “It was the most diverse one, with the 22 different countries and the community made up of 22 different countries — very distinctive cultures… And the political world that we live in now made it difficult. But we went at it openly and honestly and with a lot of curiosity.

“And I think it was one of the few times when the community felt comfortable about a lot of issues. As I got into the film, I came to the realization that maybe the film would have some benefit in dispelling some of the misconceptions.”

He said he got countless emails after the film aired from people saying things like “I never knew that… I never knew how Arab businesspeople were affected… I never knew what an imam was…”

“Our Arab American Story” was the only installment of the series that included the word “American,” in the title, unlike “Our Polish Story,” or “Our Greek Story.”

He said that was done at the request of the community itself.

“There’s a certain amount of stigma that goes with the Arab American community,” he said.

He said he thinks people wanted the extra word in the title as a way of “making sure that the other part of the community understands that they’re just as American as they are.”

“My main goal was ‘I am going to do everything I can to change the stigma,'” he said.

The Visionalist crew traveled to Lebanon and Jordan in September to collect footage for the documentary, visiting landmarks and meeting with relatives of local immigrants.

The program featured various Arab American artists, leaders of local organizations, and a transplant surgeon who saves lives on a daily basis.

The documentary brought human imagery to an embattled ethnic community, by presenting an in-depth,  emotional look at religion and the complexities of being an Arab American through the eyes of several local business owners and community leaders who have made an impact throughout Metro Detroit — the largest of all Arab communities outside the Middle East.

Famie said the traveling done for the “back home” segments of each installment was often grueling, lugging film equipment around the world and dealing with endless documentation.

The moments that made it all worth it for each film, he said, were not the Emmy acceptances, but the premiere events, when each community gathered to watch screenings of the final products.

He said the most fulfilling moments were watching people see their own lives on screen, their emotional experiences put on display.

“For that fleeting moment, their life means more than they ever thought it would,” he said.

The next installment, “Our India Story” is set to be broadcast Dec. 20 on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7).

For more information about the series or to buy DVDs of the various installments, visit www.ourstoryof.com.