EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|Creative Arts Emmy Awards see Angela Bassett's first win, Pat Sajak honored

Angela Bassett is EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Centerofficially an Emmy winner.

The first batch of winners from the Creative Arts Emmys were announced on Saturday, and the "Black Panther" star, 66, snagged the award for outstanding narrator for the National Geographic documentary series "Queens."

This is the first Emmy win of Bassett's career. She has been nominated for nine Primetime Emmys, including for "American Horror Story." The win comes after the actress earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards earlier this year.

"I'm just a girl who wanted to act, and my mentors were way out ahead of me, and I just looked at them and had inspiration and hope," she told reporters, according to a video she shared on Instagram. "I just put my focus and my energy and my love to try to make it happen in my life. So each and every day, I try to remember that first love."

Bassett also shared a photo of herself with her Emmy on Instagram and wrote, "It feels really good to hold this in my hands."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Sign up for our Watch Party newsletter:We deliver the best movie and TV recommendations to your inbox

The Creative Arts Emmys honor "exceptional artistic and technical achievements in television," and they're handed out prior to the televised Primetime Emmys. This year's ceremony is taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Other highlights from the first night of the Creative Arts Emmys included Pat Sajak winning outstanding game show host for "Wheel of Fortune," three months after departing the series. He previously won the best game-show host Daytime Emmy in 1998, 1997 and 1993.

2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards:Dates, nominees, where to watch and stream

"Jeopardy!," meanwhile, won the Emmy for outstanding game show, while Alan Cumming was awarded outstanding host for a reality or reality competition program for "The Traitors." Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum" won outstanding casting for a reality program.

Maya Rudolph also won the sixth Emmy of her career, taking the award for outstanding character voiceover performance for "Big Mouth."

Outstanding animated program went to "Blue Eye Samurai," while "Shark Tank" won outstanding structured reality program, and "Welcome to Wrexham" won outstanding unstructured reality program. "Saturday Night Live" has won the most Creative Arts Emmys of any show so far with six, earning recognition for its technical achievements like production design and hairstyling.

When are the 2024 Emmy Awards?Date, nominees, hosts, how to watch

The Creative Arts Emmys are being held over two nights and will continue on Sunday. An edited presentation of the ceremonies will air Sept. 14 on FXX. Some of the most anticipated awards that have not yet been handed out include guest actor and actress, which could see Jamie Lee Curtis take home her first Emmy for "The Bear."

Once the Creative Arts Emmys are over, the Primetime Emmys ceremony will air Sept. 15 on ABC.

Contributing: Saman Shafiq