UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — WPSU earned five 2021 regional Emmy award nominations, including three for the “Speaking Grief” initiative, from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The five nominations for WPSU Penn State, which is central Pennsylvania’s public media station, and its University partners were unveiled during a virtual announcement on Aug. 5. In all, 337 entries received nominations in 79 categories. The 39th Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards will be celebrated virtually on Saturday, Sept. 25.

WPSU productions that were nominated are:

• “Speaking Grief” (Community Service)
• “Speaking Grief” (Interactive Media)
• “Speaking Grief: The Jensen Family” (Human Interest – Short Form content)
• “Polly’s Story” (Branded Content)
• “HumIn Focus: “Who Counts? Complexities of Democracy in America” (Documentary – Single Program)

“Speaking Grief” explores the reality of grief and offers guidance on how people can offer meaningful support to those who are grieving. The WPSU documentary premiered in May 2020 on public television stations nationally and features candid interviews with families across the country — from California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

“Polly’s Story” was produced for the Penn State Office of Development and Alumni Relations and shares the story of a Penn State student who was able to pursue her dreams of a Penn State degree with the support of generous donors.

“HumIn Focus,” created for the Penn State Humanities Institute, is an educational web series that asks scholars to reflect on the ideas behind pressing social issues.

Regional NATAS chapters in comparable television markets complete Mid-Atlantic Emmy judging across the country. Industry professionals with expertise in that category judge all entries in a given category, and the judges apply personal standards of excellence to evaluate each entry in areas of content, creativity and execution. 

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences represents 750 members in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware from more than 32 television stations, numerous cable companies and programmers, as well as independent producers, production facilities and educational institutions.

The five WPSU nominees with productions teams are:

“Speaking Grief” (Community Service)

• Lindsey Whissel Fenton – producer, director and writer

“Speaking Grief” (Interactive Media)

• Lindsey Whissel Fenton – producer, director and writer
• Cassie Marsh-Caldwell – project manager and strategist
• Mindy McMahon – executive producer
• Cole Cullen – creative director
• Kristin Bittner – instructional designer
• Steve Nelson – web designer
• Chris Divyak – web developer
• Tom Wilson – director of multimedia
• Mark Stitzer – editor
• Byron J. Conrad – editor
• Jeffrey A. Hughes – director of broadcasting
• Isabel Reinert – WPSU Penn State executive director

“Speaking Grief: The Jensen Family” (Human Interest – Short Form Content)

• Lindsey Fenton – producer, director and writer
• Mark Stitzer – editor

“Polly’s Story” (Branded Content)

• James Espy – producer and director
• Matt Stephens – videographer
• Mark Stitzer- videographer and editor
• Rick Humber – location audio
• Clint Yoder – post audio
• Mindy McMahon – executive producer

“HumIn Focus: “Who Counts? Complexities of Democracy in America” (Documentary – Single program)

• John Christman – executive producer
• Matt Jordan – executive producer and consulting producer
• Andy Grant – producer and director
• Mark Stitzer – videographer and editor

Visit the WPSU website for more information on the Penn State Outreach service.