Media affiliates win Emmy Awards
In November, journalism faculty member and alumna Alison Davis, College of Media affiliate Illinois Public Media, and numerous alumni received Mid-America Emmy Awards and Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards.
Davis, journalism lecturer, was one of the Big Ten Network producers of Engineering Fire, along with Tim Hartin and Kaitlin Southworth, and executive producers Robin Kaler (also a journalism alumna), Eric Todd Wilson, and Kent Brown. The documentary won a Mid-America Emmy Award in the category Specialty Assignment Program or Special. Engineering Fire, in which University of Illinois engineers travel to Haiti, explores the successful testing of a revolutionary solar-cooking device called a Sun Bucket that could greatly improve the lives of impoverished people.
Illinois Public Media's feature film, Illinois Country, received two Mid-America Emmy Awards—one for outstanding work in Documentary - Cultural for the film as a whole, and another for Musical Composition/Arrangement for its original song "Backroads." Illinois Country first premiered on WILL-TV in March 2020, and explores Illinois’ singular role in the history of country music. Read more.
Journalism alumnus Billy Hatfield won a News Special Mid-America Emmy award as an editor for Project Illinois - Justice for Ta'naja (WICS).
Media alumni who won Chicago/Midwest Emmys include:
- Robin Baumgarten—WGN: Outstanding Achievement for News Programming – Morning Newscast: Larger Markets
- Steffie Drucker—WLS: Outstanding Achievement for Special Event Coverage – Live/Edited (other than News or Sports)
- Jon Hansen—WCIU: Outstanding Crafts Achievement for On-Camera Talent - Weather Anchor
- Eric Horng—WLS: Outstanding Achievement for News Programming – Evening Newscast: Larger Markets
- Sarah Jindra—WGN: Outstanding Achievement for News Programming – Morning Newscast: Larger Markets
- Ava Kelley—WMAQ: Outstanding Achievement for News Gathering – Spot News
- Sandy Pudar—WGN: Outstanding Achievement for News Specialty Report/Series – Military
Additional Media alumni who received Chicago/Midwest Emmy nominations include:
- Grace Aldrich (Banner/Chicago Blackhawks)
- Ryan Baker (WBBM)
- Samantha Chatman (WLS)
- Liz Colleran (Fighting Irish Media)
- Holly Grisham Conroy (WLS)
- Eric Cox (WBBM)
- Judy Hsu (WLS)
- Stephanie Kim (WMAQ)
- Gianna Marzetta (WBND)
- Darshan Patel (WMAQ)
- Mark Rivera (WLS)
- Amanda Vinicky (WTTW)
- Thomas Vodick (WGN)
Michelle Salemi (BS '11, journalism) won a national Daytime Emmy Award in June 2020 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show as a producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.