Reynolds College Blog

Emma Habert’s “The Will of the Mare” wins NATAS College EMMY® award

by

Missouri State University’s Emma Habert has won a college EMMY® award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)-Mid-America chapter.

Movie poster of The Will of the Mare depicting a woman and a horse
Movie poster for “The Will of the Mare.”

Her film, “The Will of the Mare,” won the Student Production Award for best Fiction – Short Form.

In addition to Habert’s win, nine other Missouri State students received honorable mentions for their work.

“We’re so proud of Emma and our honorable mentions this year,” said Dr. Deborah Larson, head of the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film (CMJF).

“To win a crystal pillar ‘Student Production Award’ from NATAS is to be recognized for extremely high standards by industry and academic alike,” Larson added.

“The Will of the Mare” will be shown during the CMJF Showcase on May 5 at the Moxie Cinema in Springfield, Missouri. The event starts at 7 p.m.

[Read more…] about Emma Habert’s “The Will of the Mare” wins NATAS College EMMY® award

Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film dominates 2026 BEA festival scriptwriting awards

by

Missouri State University’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film (CMJF) received several top honors from the 2026 Broadcasting Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts awards.

Winners were selected from a pool of 2,250 entries, representing over 300 colleges and universities, according to a Feb. 17 BEA press release. Categories included audio, documentary, film and video, interactive multimedia, news, scriptwriting and sports.

Faculty member Nathan Patton wins second year in a row

CMJF Assistant Professor Nathan Patton won Best of Festival and Best of Competition for his original television series pilot, “All These Lonesome Graveyards.”

“I’m sincerely honored to have one of my screenplays named Best of Competition and Best of Festival for the second year in a row,” Patton said. “I deeply appreciate the BEA for the recognition and more broadly for being a place that media faculty and, even more importantly, students can share their work.”

In 2025, Patton’s “L.O.T.U.S.” won BEA’s Best of Festival for original television series pilot, while “Orientation” won Best of Competition for feature narrative.

Student screenwriter Cooper Johnson nabs top award

Cooper Johnson’s “Bandit” won “Best of Festival” in the student scripting competition. “Bandit” also placed first in the original television pilot series category. Missouri State went on to sweep the top awards in that same category. Arden Dickson placed second for “Go Figure,” and Evalee Lowrey placed third for “Freaks.”

According to its press release, BEA awarded 19 faculty and student works for its “Best of Festival” Award honor. Both Patton and Johnson are among that elite group, and they will be honored at BEA’s 24th annual ceremony in Las Vegas on April 19. They will have their works screened during the event and will receive a cash award of $1,000 from the Diana King Memorial Endowment.

Habert and Upp place in multiple categories

Meanwhile, Emma Habert placed in two different categories. “This is Gonna Tickle” won third place in scriptwriting, and “The Will of the Mare” earned an Award of Excellence in the film and video category.

In addition, Tristan Upp earned honors in three different categories. Upp placed third individually in the narrative feature category for “Over Our Heads.” Along with Kim DeBold, Upp tied for second place for sound engineering and production with “Dawg Pound.” Finally, in collaboration with Caelan Baker, Brooks Beattie and Matthew Mulac, Upp garnered an award of excellence in multimedia sound design for “The Dog Salesman.”

CMJF continues winning legacy

CMJF department head Dr. Deborah Larson praised the group for their achievements, noting that Missouri State will maintain its position as the most highly awarded screenwriting program in the country for the sixth year in a row.

“Congratulations on your accomplishments and the quality of work that you do,” she said. “Winning 12 screenwriting awards and four production awards makes a statement that maintains a visibility nationwide of excellence in our programs. CMJF and MO State are proud of you.”

[Read more…] about Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film dominates 2026 BEA festival scriptwriting awards

Lights, camera, Chiefs!

by

A focus on maximizing opportunities and networking has led Austin Wood from Missouri State University football games to working for the Kansas City Chiefs franchise as part of its video production team.

Wood, who majored in digital film and television production in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, began working for the Chiefs in 2022.

Working with the Chiefs’ video team

After graduating from MSU, Wood collaborated with Caleb Stillians to co-produce the hunting documentary series, “Rise Up” in Alaska, which paved the way for his position with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Caleb is a hunting guide in Alaska and we decided that pairing our skill sets could make something beautiful. What came out of it were two seasons of the show that propelled us into new opportunities,” Wood said.

“He got more brand deals and I got my position with the Kansas City Chiefs. My work on the show stood out to them and the rest is history.”

Now as part of the Chiefs team, Wood said he mainly works on “The Franchise,” a seasonal documentary that records and highlights the team’s stories. The series captures the essence of what the Chiefs are as a franchise and showcases the winning culture of the organization.

Austin Wood on football field
Austin Wood at Super Bowl LVIII on the field of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo credit: David Gray.

“The beauty of the show lies in the off-field features, where we go to the homes of players and staff to interview them and tell their story. We even go on a duck hunt with them out in the country,” Wood said.

He also films every home game and many away games all over the country.

“Before every game, I spend time brainstorming, editing and preparing. There’s always a lot to do, but I’m always grateful to work for a team in Kansas City — the town I was born in — that just won back-to-back Super Bowls and is making history every day,” Wood said. [Read more…] about Lights, camera, Chiefs!

MSU students win Emmy Award for documentary

by

Students from Missouri State University’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film have won a 2024 Student Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS)—Mid-America for an episode of their documentary, “Discovering Dickerson Park Zoo.”

Episode 3, “Medicine of Dickerson Park Zoo” not only won the Student Emmy for Best College Non-Fiction Long Form, it also won second place from the Missouri Broadcast Education Association in the Video Documentary category.

Another episode, “Education of Dickerson Park Zoo,” was nominated for a Student Emmy for Best College Non-Fiction Short Form.

The entire documentary is a nine-episode web series filmed and edited by students taught by Jon Mabee, associate professor of film and television.

Mabee co-directed the documentary, along with Autumn Girgin, a recent graduate of the MFA in Dramatic Writing program. Mabee was also one of the producers.

“The National Academy of Arts and Sciences-Mid America Emmy competition is one of the most prestigious of the awards festivals that we compete in, since they are judged by professionals in the industry,” said CMJF department head Dr. Deborah Larson. “With two wins and one nomination this year, our students showed how we can compete at this level.”

“This also speaks volumes about our faculty who mentor them and the production and journalism programs we offer to our students,” Larson added.

“Real world” project based on client need

The zoo documentary project came about when Mabee, who has worked with the Dickerson Park Zoo on other projects, agreed to help the zoo create content to celebrate its 100th birthday.

This was an opportunity for students to be involved in “real-world applications” that reflect content taught in CMJF courses, Mabee said.

During the project, Mabee supervised roughly two dozen students, some of whom were enrolled in his Client-Based Video Production (MED 385) and Editing for Film & TV (MED 466) courses.

Total production time was about 20 weeks, Mabee estimated, with about three weeks devoted to actual filming. The project began in March 2023 and concluded in December.

Man working with woman on film camera
Associate professor Jon Mabee with student videographer Amelia Kotulski.

[Read more…] about MSU students win Emmy Award for documentary

Larson named to Emmy Foundation Board of Governors

by

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Mid-America has selected Dr. Deborah Larson, professor and interim head of the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film (CMJF), to serve on its Board of Governors.

Larson will serve a two-year term. She will work on the Education Committee in addition to her regular board member duties.

According to its website, the NATAS Mid-America chapter was chartered in 1962 and represents television markets in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana.

[Read more…] about Larson named to Emmy Foundation Board of Governors