UNCSA alumni are nominated for Emmy Awards

Alumni of the School of Filmmaking, School of Drama and the School of Design & Production at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) are nominated for Emmy Awards for work on some of the most nominated television programs of the year. Several other alumni have close connections to shows that received nominations.

Jeff Seibenick (B.F.A. Film ’98) is nominated as outstanding editor of an episode of “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus, which received a total of 24 nominations, including outstanding drama series.

Zene Baker (B.F.A. Film ’98) is nominated for outstanding picture editing for the series finale of “WandaVision” on Disney Plus. It was nominated for 23 awards, including outstanding limited or anthology series.

Jonathan Majors (B.F.A. Drama ’12) is nominated as outstanding lead actor in a drama series for his performance in HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.” The series is nominated for a total of 18 awards, including outstanding drama series.

Craig Zobel (B.F.A. Film ’99) is nominated as outstanding director of HBO’s “Mare of Easttown.” He is also a producer for the show, which received a total of 16 nominations, including outstanding limited or anthology series.

Tanase Popa (B.F.A. Design and Production ’06) is nominated as executive producer in two categories: FX’s “Pose,” which is nominated for nine awards, including outstanding drama series, and “Pose: Identity, Family, Community” for outstanding short form nonfiction or reality series.

Michael Brake (B.F.A. Film ’95) was nominated for outstanding sound editing of a nonfiction or reality program for “Billie Ellish: The World’s a Little Blurry” on Apple TV. It was nominated for four awards.

The work of Andrew Robinson (B.F.A. Film '06) for the New York Times video "Who Gets the Vaccine?" is nominated for outstanding graphic design and art direction in the news category of the News and Documentary Emmys.    

Among the other UNCSA connections are (with information available at press time):

Vera Herbert (B.F.A. Film ’11) is an executive producer and writer for NBC’s “This Is Us,” which is nominated as outstanding drama series, and Tiffany Little Canfield (B.F.A. Drama ’00) is casting director;

J.T. Rogers (B.F.A. Drama ’90) wrote the screenplay for HBO’s “Oslo,” which is nominated for outstanding television movie. The movie is adapted from Rogers’ Tony Award-winning play;

Matt Petrosky (B.F.A. Film ‘00) is camera operator and Steadicam operator, Callie Moore (Film) is assistant camera operator,  Alex Bickel (B.F.A. Film ‘04) is colorist, Sofia Yankelevitch (B.F.A. Film ’16) is props crew member, Meredith Hannah (B.F.A. Film '13) is set dresser and Tyler Blythe (B.F.A. Film ’11) worked on the sound crew on Amazon’s “Underground Railroad,” which is nominated for seven awards, including outstanding limited or anthology series or movie;

Filipp Penson (B.F.A. Film ’10) is first assistant camera operator and B camera operator and Elise H. Clark-Johnson (B.F.A. Film ‘16) is buyer for HBO’s “The Flight Attendant,” which is nominated for nine awards, including outstanding comedy series;

Matt Verschelde (B.F.A. Film ’08) is key grip on Hulu’s “Pen15,” nominated for four awards, including outstanding comedy series;

Jon Hudson Odom (B.F.A. Drama ’08) appears in “Lovecraft Country” and the crew includes Nathan Krochmal (B.F.A. Film ’14) as art director and assistant art director, Emilee Cox (B.F.A. Film ‘14) as set decorations coordinator, Kacie Craver (B.F.A. Film ‘14) as set dresser; and Victoria Rupert (B.F.A. Film ’17) as production assistant;

Teddy Wirtz (B.F.A. Film ‘16) is digital composter for two episodes of “Pose,” and Jordan Taratoot(B.F.A. Film ’10) is marketing editor; and

Tyler Blythe (B.F.A. Film ’11) is sound mixer for four episodes of “WandaVision.”

Seibenick’s previous credits include “Cobra Kai,” “Vice Principals,” “Young Sheldon,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Eastbound and Down.”

Baker’s editing credits include “Men in Black: International,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Snatched,” “Observe and Report” and “The Foot Fist Way.”

Majors previously was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a Black Reel Award for his supporting role in 2019’s “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” He portrayed the son of a Vietnam War veteran in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.” He appears as American cowboy Nat Love in the upcoming Jay-Z-backed spaghetti western “The Harder They Fall” and as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”

In 2007, Zobel won a Gotham Independent Film Award as breakthrough director for “Great World of Sound,” which was nominated for best first feature by the Film Independent Spirit Awards. He wrote and directed “Compliance” which was nominated for an audience award at Sundance International Film Festival in 2013, and he directed “Z for Zachariah,” which was nominated for a grand jury prize at Sundance in 2015.

Awards in the entertainment categories will be presented Sunday, Sept. 19, in a ceremony to be broadcast on CBS. Awards for the news categories will be announced in a livestreamed ceremony at 8 p.m.  Tuesday, Sept. 28.

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