Exceptional Student-Produced Programs Recognized in National Competition by Television Academy Members

The Television Academy Foundation today announced nominees for the 43^rd College Television Awards, which recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges nationwide and revealed the recipient of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship. 

The College Television Awards ceremony will be held Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Television Academy’s North Hollywood campus. Student nominees will also participate in two days of professional development discussions and networking opportunities with media and industry leaders to support career advancement.

Twenty-one student-produced programs are nominated from 181 entries submitted by 37 colleges and universities. Designed to emulate the Emmy^® Awards, student entries are judged by Television Academy members; three projects are nominated in each of the seven categories. Criteria for the College Television Awards reflects industry standards of excellence, imagination and innovation. Each winning project will receive a $3,000 cash prize.

“Congratulations to the 2024 nominees whose outstanding student productions have been recognized by the Television Academy Foundation,” said Jodi Delaney, executive director of the Television Academy Foundation. “We’re thrilled to present their exceptional work to Hollywood’s entertainment community through this awards program, giving students career exposure.”

The nominees for the 43^rd College Television Awards are listed below:

ANIMATION SERIES:

Strings Attached – Ringling College of Art and Design

Ria Shinde, Director/Producer/Writer

The Sun Is Bad – Savannah College of Art and Design

Rachel Mow, Director/Writer

Ivan Chui, Producer

The Witch’s Cat – Brigham Young University

Jessica Fink Blaine, Producer

Abby Staker, Director/Writer

COMEDY SERIES:

Fishmonger – American Film Institute

Neil Ferron, Director/Writer

Jordan Willcox, Producer

Alexandra Dennis-Renner, Writer

Slobopoly – Chapman University

Jennifer Baker, Producer/Writer

Yinghui Li, Director

We Met At Camp – American Film Institute

MC Plaschke, Director/Writer

Alexander Heller, Producer/Writer

Abbey Letizia, Producer/Writer

COMMERCIAL, PSA OR PROMO:

Alzheimer’s Association – No One Is Alone – Brigham Young University

Remington Butler, Director/Writer

Alex McBride, Producer

IMAX – Maximum Immersion – Brigham Young University

Remington Butler, Director/Writer

Eli Wright, Producer

Alex McBride, Producer

Lucy Nielson, Producer

Lyft – We Don’t Judge, We Drive – Brigham Young University

Remington Butler, Director

Carter Halvorsen, Writer

Jeremy Holbrook, Writer

Gwynie Bahr, Producer

Tanner Jackson, Producer

DRAMA SERIES:

Backlog – University of Southern California

Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal, Director/Producer/Writer

Zhongyu Wang, Producer

Marian Cook, Producer

Josh Powell, Producer

Chorus – American Film Institute

Daniel Egbert, Director/Writer

Ling Guo, Producer

Windows – University of California, Los Angeles

Jorge Parra Jr., Director/Producer/Writer

Meghan Truax, Producer

NEWS:

Flashpoint Florida: Midterm Election Special – University of Miami

Maddie Bassalik, Producer/Writer

Isabella Morales, Writer

Zachari Levy, Writer

Katelyn Kucharski, Producer

Madison Schurr, Producer/Writer

Anna Coon, Director/Writer

Harvey Duplock, Writer

NewsVision – University of Miami

Embrik Eyles, Producer

Harvey Duplock, Producer

Anna Coon, Director

Katelyn Kucharski, Producer

Derryl Barnes, Writer

Sophia Vitello, Writer

Cal Friedman, Writer

Wyatt Kopelman, Writer

Quinn Davidson, Producer

WUFT News First at Five – University of Florida

Taylor Fishman, Producer

Caroline Chao, Producer

Ophelie Jacobson, Writer

Emily Ferguson, Director

Chris Will, Writer

Camila Pereira, Writer

NONFICTION SERIES:

Healing Paws – Florida State University

Keith Cohen, Director/Producer/Writer

Laced – Florida State University

Nico Wilcox, Director/Producer/Writer

Wings of Dust – New York University

Giorgio Ghiotto, Director/Producer/Writer

SPORTS:

SportsDesk: The Magazine Edition – University of Miami

Daniel Toll, Producer/Writer

Morgan Champey, Director/Producer

Derryl Barnes, Producer

Anna Coon, Producer

Kayla Davis, Producer

Leslie Dominique, Producer

Lauren Lennon, Producer

Jaclyn Marra, Producer

Sports Final – Ithaca College

Bryan Manchester, Producer

Julia Foster, Producer

Ryan Spadafina, Producer

Lauren Mitchell, Director

Rheanna DeCrow, Writer

Eli Fishman, Writer

Teammates: Honoring Sam Mills – Montclair State University

Jason Naccarella, Director

Gianna Daginis, Writer

Matt Orth, Writer

Matt Bruchez, Producer

Teni Bello, Writer  

The Foundation also named the recipient of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship, which rewards a student-produced project that best portrays disability issues or helps emerging artists with a disability gain recognition. The winning piece for 2024 is titled Just Jacob by Halle Losordo (director/writer) and Abigail Dickinson (producer) from Savannah College of Art and Design. It profiles the day-to-day life of fellow SCAD student Jacob Thiele who has Treacher Collins syndrome. The genetic disorder affects the growth and development of the head, which prevents the skull, cheek and jawbones from developing properly, causing facial anomalies and hearing loss.

Loreen Arbus is a two-time Emmy nominee who holds the trailblazing distinction of being the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime, and is a leading advocate for people with disabilities. This is the 12^th year for this award, provided by the Loreen Arbus Foundation, which has established and funds scholarships that both enhance and elevate social consciousness around key societal issues.

Winners in the competition will be announced by celebrity presenters at the awards ceremony April 13, 2024. During the show the Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize, will also be awarded to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern.

Tickets to the April 13 awards ceremony are $25 for students with ID and $50 for general admission. To purchase tickets, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/cta/tickets.

In addition to The Loreen Arbus Foundation, United Airlines is a proud supporter of the 43^rd College Television Awards.

ERRORS OR OMISSIONS: The deadline for correcting errors in the listing of nominations is Dec. 12, 2023, at 5 p.m. PST. Omissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact [email protected].

About the Television Academy Foundation

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship Program, and the Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.