The 40th Telly Awards celebrate multi-screen winners Netflix, Condé Nast, DC Entertainment, Univision, AJ+, Adult Swim, CNN, Verizon, T Brand Studio and Viacom
Marking its 40th anniversary as the world’s largest honor for video and television content across all screens, The Telly Awards announced this year’s winners, including animated, environmentally-conscious standouts like Passion Pictures & CNN’s “There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom”, live streaming favorite DC Entertainment’s “DC Daily Live with Kevin Smith”, Netflix’s drag show music video of Dolly Parton’s legendary “Jolene” and CBS Interactive’s viral juggernaut for “The Late Late Show with James Corden: The Biggest Baby Shark Ever” starring a crooning Josh Groban and Sophie Turner. A resurgence of documentary filmmaking also prompted top honors for a diverse range of companies: ESPN, AETN, AJ+, HBO Latin America, and PBS.
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honors video and television made for all screens and is judged by The Telly Award Judging Council; a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising, and emerging technology.
Also, for the first time ever, The Telly Awards has crowned a Telly Company of the Year: CBS Interactive – recognizing years of achievement across platforms with video content from its many properties like Chowhound, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and CNET who created the widely shared video “Mark Zuckerberg explains the internet to old people”. Their commitment to creating great work, online and off, truly embodies the full breadth of platforms and screens the Tellys honor.
This year’s winners not only represent a further broadening of the online landscape to embrace more documentary, scripted and even episodic pieces, but an increased focus on Branded Content and innovative new platforms like VR and Social Streaming.
“We spend a lot of time listening to the creative community and our industry to better understand where the opportunities are for storytelling, and Social and Branded Content rose head and shoulders above the rest,” said Telly’s managing director Sabrina Dridje. “CBS Interactive especially should be commended for its approach to social and online video. These are areas that take a specific set of skills to produce great work, and as an organization honoring video and television content, spotlighting their efforts is fundamental to our mission.”
In addition to a refreshed mission and recent rebrand, this year’s Telly Awards boasted a new roster of judges, comprising the most diverse and elite group of television and video industry leaders in the award’s history. Entries were evaluated by jury members from creative powerhouse Droga5, next generation motion picture studio Ryot, Condé Nast, Framestore, Vimeo, Vice, A&E Networks and more.
Indicative of their renewed multi-screen focus is the VR category, which recognized Google’s “Back to the Moon”, an animated fairy tale adventure that celebrates the life and art of French illusionist and film director Georges Méliès, and BBDO DUBLIN’s “Consequences” which shows the tragic results of a night of drinking and driving. Tribeca and New York Film Festival favorite “Fire Escape” also won VR gold for its gripping story centered on solving a murder mystery.
Meanwhile, newer studios and networks also found success with Stept Studios, Blue Chalk Media, and Soul Pancake picking up awards in various categories.
In Online and Social Video, publishers made their mark with Wired, Vogue, Vanity Fair and Bon Appétit all being recognized. Additionally, Verizon Media earned 4 golds for their in-depth online video profiles “This Tattoo Artist Has Been Inking for 46 Years”, “Anthony Mancinelli: The World’s Oldest Barber” and webseries “Real Life Love”.
Additional 40th Annual Telly highlights from this year’s winners include:
Branded Content
- National Geographic won for “A Wild Lager Story” in Videography / Cinematography
- Passion Pictures & CNN won for “What is Beauty?” in 2D Animation
- Univision Communications Inc. won for “Target Holiday” in Commercials
- WeTransfer won for “Breaking The Circle” in Directing
- Dow Jones won for “Chasing Ambition” in Campaign: Branding
Social Video
- Condé Nast won for Wired’s “Former CIA Chief Explains How Spies Use Disguises” in General:
Education & Discovery- PBS Digital Studios won for PBS Digital Studios “It’s Okay to be Smart ” in Series: Education &
Discovery
- AETN won for “Native American Campaign” in Series: Culture & Lifestyle
- AJ+ won for “Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” in General: News &
Information Television
- AETN won for “We Are One” in Sports
- CBS Interactive won for “Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke” in Comedy
- ESPN Films won for “30 for 30 Shorts: Locked In” in Documentary: Individual
- HBO Latin America won for “O Negócio” in Directing
- Adult Swim won for “Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle – Walkthrough” in Use of Humor
Online Series/Shows/Segments
- PBS Digital Studios won for “Do We Need a President of the United States | America From
Scratch” in Social Issues
- Viacom Media Networks won for “Real Life Love” in Webseries: Documentary
- Culture Trip won for “Hungerlust” in Documentary: Series
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah won for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” in Entertainment
- Fast Company & Inc Magazine won for “Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper turned their chemistry into a side career” in Entertainment
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multi-screen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include NAB, StudioDaily, Stash Magazine, Storyhunter, ProductionHub, VR/AR Association, The Wrap and Digiday.