By Rebecca Brando
The Television Academy Foundation announced the winners of the 42nd College Television Awards, which recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges nationwide, at a star-studded awards gala that was live streamed globally from the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, California, on April 1.
Kim Fields, Camilla Luddington, Christine Ko and Nathan Mitchell were among stars who presented top honors to students from colleges nationwide.
“Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s competition,” said Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “The Foundation is proud to showcase their exceptional work and to help jumpstart their careers as the future leaders of the industry. Our sincerest gratitude to all the presenters and partners who made this experience so memorable for our nominees and winners.”
Emulating the Emmy® Awards selection process, entries for the College Television Awards were judged by Television Academy members. Top honors and a $3,000 cash prize went to winning teams in seven categories:
Animation Series:
Cenote – Brigham Young University
Andrew Pettit, Producer
Daniel Villanueva Avalos, Director/Writer
Samantha Barroso, Director
Comedy Series:
Wei-Lai – University of Southern California
Zhongyu Wang, Director
Naomi Shroff-Mehta, Producer
Guang Xi Shi, Writer
Andy Li, Producer
Commercial, PSA or Promo:
eBay - Dear Vanessa – Brigham Young University
Andrew Rhee, Director/Writer
Madi Hill, Producer
Drama Series:
Provenance – University of Southern California
Bijan Kazerooni, Producer
Julia Elizabeth Evans, Producer
Lucinda Hirschfeld, Producer
Ugonna Nwabueze, Producer
Caleb Townsend, Producer/Writer
Sayali Upadhye, Producer/Writer
Vivian Gray, Director
News:
New Orleans | Raging Storms – Montclair State University
Solana Brol, Director/Producer/Writer
Emily Dolan, Director/Producer/Writer
Louis Biondolillo, Producer/Writer
Givonna Boggans, Producer/Writer
Michelle Coneo Fernandez, Producer/Writer
Ryan Breyta, Producer/Writer
Khan Hussain, Producer/Writer
Talon Lauriello, Producer/Writer
Drew Mumich, Producer/Writer
Bernice Ndegwa, Producer/Writer
Keyshawn Reese, Producer/Writer
Gabby Taylor, Producer/Writer
Carter Winner, Producer/Writer
Kaya Maciak, Producer/Writer
Nonfiction Series:
Lizzi: Deeper Than Water – Taylor University
Anna Rodman, Producer/Writer
Gabriel Burch, Director/Writer
Sports:
SportsDesk – University of Miami
Danyel DeVilliers, Director/Producer
Gianna Sanchez, Producer
Derryl Barnes, Writer
Maxwell Trink, Writer
Josh White, Writer
Thomas Sullivan, Writer
Cassandra Garcia, Writer
Michelle Ng-Reyes, Writer
Two special awards were also announced during the program: The Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship was presented to Taylor University students Anna Rodman (producer/writer) and Gabriel Burch (director/writer) for their production Lizzi: Deeper Than Water, featuring Paralympic swimmer Lizzi Smith. The $10,000 scholarship celebrates student storytellers whose work sheds light on people with disabilities and is underwritten by the Loreen Arbus Foundation. 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.
The Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize given to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern, was awarded to Montclair State University students for their News Lab Special Edition titled, New Orleans | Raging Storms, which reported on climate change and racial injustice in New Orleans, Louisiana. This award was created over 20 years ago by the late entertainment attorney Seymour Bricker.
The 42nd College Television Awards show is available for VOD viewing at TelevisionAcademy.com/CTA.
The 42nd College Television Awards is supported by philanthropists and corporate partners including the Johnny Carson Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, PEOPLE®, The Loreen Arbus Foundation and Warner Bros./Discovery.
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