Regional Emmy Organization Recognizes Taylor University with Nine Student Production Awards

Student filmmakers at Taylor University won nine Student Production Awards from the regional Emmy organization. This brings the total number of external recognitions for the Film & Media Arts program to 1,183.

The National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), Central Great Lakes Chapter, recognizes student work from across Indiana and Ohio. Taylor received 14 nominations in April and won the following nine Student Production Awards from the regional Emmy organization.

In the Fiction Short-form category, the winner was “Second Hand,” directed by Patrick Marsh '25. The experimental project from Taylor’s Film Workshop class features a father and son faced with a tragedy. Additional nominees included “Carta,” shot in Portugal during Taylor’s International Production class taught by professors Steve Bailey and Lincoln Reed, and “Midas,” a short film from the Directing & Cinematography class.

In the Fiction Long-form category, Taylor project “Edentity Crisis” was a nominee. Made by seniors in Professor Kathy Bruner’s Narrative Filmmaking class, the film tells the story of Ed who has a fake ID made so he can prove he’s old enough to play in a seniors’ bowling league.

“This was an ambitious project to make and ultimately very entertaining for audiences,” Bruner said. “We’re so glad that the judges enjoyed it!”

In the Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category, two projects share winner’s honors for “Route of the Romanesque,” highlighting significant historical landmarks in Portugal and “Making Magic” about two Indiana magicians.

In the College Music Video category, the project “Viral” won the Student Production Award. The video, based on a song by Braeden Bisher, features a self-absorbed woman who wants to go viral on the internet. A second music video, “The Pact,” was also nominated in this category. Both projects came from Professor John Bruner’s Directing & Cinematography class.

Winning in the Non-Fiction Short-Form category was the documentary “From the Ashes” which tells the story of a family rebuilding after a tragedy took the lives of two teen brothers. In the Non-fiction Long-Form category, the judges named two Taylor projects as winners: “For Isaiah” about two MMA fighters and “Calling the Wild,” featuring the people and wolves of Wolf Park in Lafayette, Indiana.

In the Interview/Discussion category, the winner was “The Night Shift with Caleb Heffron,” a television interview show from Professor John Bruner’s Multi-Camera Live Production class. The project’s director, Annie Troyer '26, capitalized on new television studio in the Horne Academic Center.

The regional Emmy organization also recognized individuals in “craft categories,” recognizing the achievements of individuals. For Editing, the winner was Adeline Hueser ’25 for her work on a promotional video for Main Street Mile, highlighting the history of Upland, Indiana, and celebrating its economic development efforts. The project came from Professor Steve Bailey’s Producing for Clients class. In the craft category of Photography which recognizes outstanding camera work, JP Susantio '25 and Chloe Gard '25 were nominated for their work on “Surf Church,” a documentary about a pastor in Portugal. 

All productions were judged by panels of professionals working in television and video production and tallied on a point system.