Television Academy Foundation's College Awards Announce Nominees for Industry's Highest Student Honor

The Television Academy Foundation TODAY announced nominees for the 43rd  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 on 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 theCollege 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 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 43rd 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 the 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, preventing 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 12th 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 on 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.