USF’s InEd Studios celebrates six Suncoast Emmy wins and two gold Davey Awards

TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 2025) - The University of South Florida's Innovative Education Studios (InEd Studios), is celebrating a milestone year after earning six Suncoast Emmy® Awards from seven total nominations and securing two Gold Davey Awards for excellence in digital media, storytelling and motion graphics work.

The recognition highlights InEd Studios' growing impact as a leader in educational storytelling and creative production.

"Taking home 6 Suncoast Emmy Awards is an incredible honor and a reflection of the creativity, dedication, and heart our entire team pours into every project," said Director of InEd Studios Jared Brown. "At InEd Studios, we're driven by a passion for storytelling that educates, inspires, and connects with audiences; so it's deeply rewarding to see that work recognized."

As a sendoff for the team's work on the three-season documentary series as a part of the State of Florida civics literacy excellence initiative, "Portraits in Patriotism" (PIP), the final three episodes were honored with Emmy awards. Closing out the educational docuseries that has reach more that 2 million K-12 students and educators across the state and garnered state, national, and global recognition.

The following episodes received Emmy awards in their respective categories at this year's show:

A Portrait in Patriotism - Marina Davidovich - Historical/Cultural - Long Form Content

A Portrait in Patriotism - Kénel Joseph - Human Interest - Long Form Content

A Portrait in Patriotism - Lozada-Lucena Family - Politics/Government - Long Form Content

As a testament to the InEd Studio's passion to promote and tell the USF story, the team also won two Emmy Awards in the competitive, Commercial - Single Spot category. First, for their work on the Muma College of Business branding spot released early in 2025.

David Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, praised the video's ability to convey the college's mission: "This video does an exceptional job of telling our brand story in an engaging way. It shares the heart of what we do as a college as we empower ambitious students to achieve their dreams and succeed in life."

Also, in the Commercial - Single Spot category, InEd Studios picked up another win for their work on the Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing brand and launch video meant to introduce USF's cutting-edge and newest college on campus.

"I'm delighted to see this collaboration recognized with a Suncoast Regional Emmy." stated Sudeep Sarkar, Dean of the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. "The branding spot captured both the spirit and ambition of our new college, and this award is a testament to the creativity, professionalism, and hard work of the InEd Studios team and our colleagues across USF. We're proud of what we've built together and excited for what's ahead."

The award-winning commercials can be seen here:

The Pursuit - Muma College of Business - Commercial - Single Spot

The Human Element - Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing - Commercial - Single Spot

Individually, Bryan Dos Reis brought home an Emmy for Directing in the category of Director - Long Form content for his work on the Portraits in Patriotism - Kénel Joseph documentary.

"Being able to contribute to what has been built at Innovative Education is an honor. Our team is has become my filmmaking family and to direct a piece of art with them, that is now award-winning, means the world to me and becomes the fuel to push our game even further," says Dos Reis.

INTERNational Recognition: Two Gold Davey Awards

In addition to its Emmy success, InEd Studios earned two Gold Davey Awards for:

• The Human Element - Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing, Category - Schools & Universities Film/Video
• Law and Order: Foundations of Social Welfare and Policy - USF Online Course, Category - Educational Film/Video

Presented by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, the Davey Awards are a premier international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding work from small agencies, independent creators and in-house teams.

"Having the team recognized on an international stage is humbling, to say the least. It celebrates the artistry, collaboration, and innovation that define who we are as a studio," Brown said. "I'm endlessly proud of our talented team and grateful to lead such an inspiring group of creatives so invested in the USF mission."

A Commitment to Educational Storytelling

InEd Studios has a strong history of national recognition, earning multiple awards and film festival nods in recent years, including 11 total Emmy wins and 20 nominations since 2018. Additionally, the team has won Best in Show honors at the Davey Award wins in 2024. A full list of InEd Studios' awards and recognition over the last 20 years can be found here.

Many of the studio's most notable productions are created through strategic partnerships across the university, including collaborations with the College of Design, Art, and Performance, College of Education, Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing, the Muma College of Business, and many more. These partnerships enable the team to bring academic content to life through high-quality visual storytelling, supporting both teaching and public engagement.

Director and editor of two of this year's award-winning projects, Vanessa Milford says, "It is truly rewarding to know that all the hard work we put into these projects was appreciated by others. Personally, it reminds me why I love filmmaking, the problem solving and long days all feel worth it when the story makes an impact on the viewer. Professionally, it is super motivating. It makes me want to keep experimenting and creating projects that feel deserving of this recognition.

What's Ahead

"We hope to continue to push the envelope in filmmaking and educational media. Our goal is always to create engaging media that improves the student experience and boosts the University brand through storytelling and creativity." Says Brown.

"I hope with this recognition, InEd can be seen as a true filmmaking powerhouse, from educational content to commercial storytelling and documentary work," Milford emphasized. "And hopefully opens the door for more partnerships that let us keep pushing boundaries and exploring new creative ways to tell stories and engage our students."

Full list of the Award-Winning and Nominated Projects

InEd Studios' Emmy nominations spanned several powerful projects that highlight compelling narratives.

Winner - A Portrait in Patriotism - Lozada-Lucena Family
Category - Politics/Government - Long Form Content
Director: Jared Brown
Producer: Gary Granger
DP: David Panton
Editor: Martin Espinoza

Winner - A Portrait in Patriotism - Marina Davidovich
Category - Historical/Cultural - Long Form Content
Creative Director: Jared Brown
Producers: Jared Brown & Diana Trueman
Director & Editor: Vanessa Milford
DP: Bryan Dos Reis

Winner - A Portrait in Patriotism - Kénel Joseph
Category - Human Interest - Long Form Content
Creative Director: Jared Brown
Producers: Gary Granger
Director & Editor: Bryan Dos Reis
DP: David Panton

Winner - The Pursuit - Muma College of Business
Category - Commercial - Single Spot
Creative Director: Jared Brown
Producer: Gary Granger
Director & Editor: Bryan Dos Reis
DP: David Panton

Winner - The Human Element - Bellini College of AI, Cyber Security, and Computing
Category - Commercial - Single Spot
Creative Director: Jared Brown
Producer: Gary Granger
Director & Editor: Vanessa Milford
DP: Bryan Dos Reis

Winner - A Portrait in Patriotism - Kénel Joseph
Category - Director - Long Form Content
Director - Bryan Dos Reis

Nominated - Rebuilding Together Greater Florida
Virtual Production Supervisor: John Cundy
Virtual Production Artist: Ghassan Abdallah