Television Academy Foundation Reveals Nominees for 44th College Television Awards

The Television Academy Foundation have announced nominees for the 44^th College Television Awards, which recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges and universities nationwide, and revealed the recipient of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship.

Winners in the competition will be announced by celebrity presenters at the red carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Television Academy’s North Hollywood campus. 

Open to undergraduate and graduate students, the annual College Television Awards are regarded as a valuable steppingstone to careers in television. Twenty-two student-produced programs have been nominated, selected from 232 entries from 50 colleges and universities nationwide. Entries are judged by Television Academy members, emulating the Emmy^® Awards selection process.

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 and trophy.

Full List of Nominees

ANIMATION SERIES:

• Le Charade – Savannah College of Art and Design – Erika Totoro, Director, Producer and Writer
• Student Accomplice – Brigham Young University – Brielle Hansen, Producer; Spencer Baird, Director and Writer
• Time Flies – Savannah College of Art and Design – Morgan Eng, Producer and Writer; LJ Burnett, Director and Writer

COMEDY SERIES:

• A Lovely Ending – Biola University – Po Yin Sham, Producer; E.F. Broyles, Director and Writer; Jonny Harmon, Director
• Failure to Launch – University of Southern California – Harnish Ambaliya, Producer; Maura Ende, Producer; Jay Mandyman, Director and Writer
• The Hicks Happy Hour – American Film Institute; Cameron Wen, Producer; Michael Kefeyalew, Writer; Kate McCarthy, Director and Writer

COMMERCIAL, PSA OR PROMO:

• Feel Safe In Your Skin – Brigham Young University – Lauren Holt, Director and Writer; Danny White, Director and Writer; Riley Rawson, Producer; Todd Jackson, Producer
• Manumalo (Victory) – Nike – Brigham Young University – Danny White, Producer and Writer; Alex Galea’i, Producer and Writer; Aubry Mackin, Producer; Spencer Nelson, Director and Producer; Parker McDermott, Producer; Evan Jensen, Producer
• Welcome to the W – Brigham Young University – Mia Shumway, Director and Writer; Annie Ebert, Director and Producer; Ben Thornock, Director

DRAMA SERIES:

• Neither Donkey Nor Horse – University of Southern California – Jesse Aultman, Producer and Writer; Aslan Dalgic, Producer; Chirsten Vandebilt Ellis, Producer; Lilith Mo, Producer; Zhongyu Wang, Director and Writer
• The Circus Monkey – University of California, Santa Barbara – Nathan Krachman, Producer; Travers Tobis, Director and Writer
• Two Breaths – University of Southern California – Kateryna Kurganska, Director, Producer and Writer

NEWS:

• Arizona Stories: Border, Water and Politics – Montclair State University – Dani Mazariegos, Director, Producer and Writer; Izzy Conklin, Director, Producer and Writer; Grace Keane, Director, Producer and Writer; Terry Dickerson, Director, Producer and Writer; Isabella Alvarez, Director, Producer and Writer; Nino DeNino, Director, Producer and Writer; Maurice Jenkins, Director, Producer and Writer; Sean Thrunk, Director, Producer and Writer; Gloria Perez, Director, Producer and Writer; Mollie O’Donnell, Director, Producer and Writer; Grace Gonzales Quispe, Director, Producer and Writer; Brandon Ehly, Director, Producer and Writer; Aylin Alvarez Santiago, Director, Producer and Writer; Michelle Ruiz, Director, Producer and Writer; Yazemin Yilmaz, Director, Producer and Writer; Jennifer Sanchez, Director, Producer and Writer
• Deadly Shooting On Campus: The Facts. The Failures. The Future. – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Molly Clinch, Producer; Aaman Patel, Director; Samantha Marles, Producer; Mair Famet, Writer; Kelly Kendall, Writer; Christian Phillips, Writer; Walter Reinke, Writer; Steven Schlink, Writer; Daniel Masterson, Director; Lauryn Lovett, Writer; Kyle Lobenhofer, Director; Muhsin Mahmud, Writer
• NewsVision – University of Miami – Katelyn Kucharski, Producer and Writer; Maddie Bassalik, Producer and Writer; Finn Wilson, Director; Quinn Davidson, Producer; Simone Werner, Producer and Writer; Darrel Creary, Producer; Wyatt Kopelman, Producer and Writer; Derryl Barnes, Writer; Harvey Duplock, Writer; Regina Potenza, Writer; Andrew Klein, Writer; Melanie Lowe, Writer

NONFICTION SERIES:

• A Dream Called Khushi (Happiness) – New York University – Rishabh Jain, Director, Producer and Writer
• Culture War – Ringling College of Art and Design – Celi Mitidieri, Director, Producer and Writer; Milena Montero, Producer
• Shattered Expectations – New York University – Crispin Kerr-Dineen, Director, Producer and Writer

SPORTS:

• SportsDesk – University of Miami – Morgan Champey, Producer; Delanie Haddad, Director and Producer; Taryn Jacobs, Producer; Wrigley Kordt, Writer; Jake Baum, Writer; Andrew Klein, Producer and Writer; Mia Housman, Writer; Derryl Barnes, Producer; Annie Watson, Producer; Billie Brightman, Producer; Jadyn Cohee, Writer
• SportsDesk: The Magazine Edition – University of Miami – Morgan Champey, Producer; Delanie Haddad, Director; Taryn Jacobs, Director; Olivia Howell, Producer and Writer; Manny Naccarato, Producer; Ryan Marshall, Producer; Daniel Toll, Producer; Jake Baum, Writer; Ethan Gany, Writer
• Syracuse Women’s Basketball vs. Northeastern Pregame Show – Syracuse University; Audrey Glynn, Producer; Caleb Jaramillo, Director; Terence Murphy, Writer

Disability Scholarship

The Foundation also named the recipient of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus onDisability 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 2025 is titled Lola by Grace Hanna (director), Duke Yang (writer) and Uloaku Anyiam-Osigme (producer) from the American Film Institute (AFI). Lola is a heartwarming dramatic piece about Tessie, a 13-year-old science prodigy who embarks on a daring journey into her grandmother’s (Lola’s) mind to retrieve her precious memories before Alzheimer’s disease erases them forever.

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 13^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.

During the show the Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize, will also be awarded to a College Television Award project that best highlights a humanitarian concern.

In addition, attending student nominees will participate in two days of professional development events with media and industry leaders prior to the awards show and a special screening of their projects for Television Academy members.

“Each year, the College Television Awards showcases the outstanding work of students from colleges and universities across the nation,” said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “The level of creativity, storytelling and production quality in this year’s submissions is a testament to the talent of these emerging content creators and the bright future of television.”

SEE ALSO: Yale University Introduces Course on Beyoncé’s Cultural Impact