CWU Film, Communication students take home Regional Emmy Awards

Over the course of just two months, a group of Central Washington University students went from hoping to receive a nomination for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Northwest Regional Emmy Awards to taking home four winning entries.

Film major Tyler Diltz walked away with four top prizes in the Student Production Awards competition, classmate Keaton Weyers won two awards, and Emmet Giaccio and Grace Thompson each won one at the 63^rd annual event May 29 at Fremont Studios in Seattle.

Diltz, Weyers, and Giaccio teamed up to earn co-winner honors in the Nonfiction Short Form category for "Bringing Fish Back," while Diltz and Weyers claimed first place in the Photographer’s Craft category for “Bedford’s Blind Date.”

Thompson, a PULSE Magazine reporter, joined Diltz, the magazine’s editor in chief, on the winning entry in the Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category for a story titled “Boots & Boogie.”

Film majors Gurdil Dardi, Madisyn Joyner, Frank Purpura, and Javier Angulo joined Diltz, Weyers, and Giaccio as nominees in the Promotional Video category for “Bedford’s Blind Date,” and greatly contributed to the piece's visual and artistic success.

“I wasn’t expecting all four of our film entries to get nominated, and I definitely wasn’t expecting three of them to win,” said Diltz, who is wrapping up his fourth year at Central. “I felt like we had a pretty good chance of winning, but I didn’t know which projects would get the most attention.”

One of the first awards of the night was presented for Nonfiction Short Form. Needless to say, that announcement caught the CWU contingent a little off guard.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Diltz said about the anticipation before the ceremony. “I didn’t expect to go up on stage so soon, and I didn’t really want to give a speech. But it was really exciting and I was able to pull something together.”

Joyner, who will graduate Saturday with a Film degree, said winning a slew of NATAS awards brings some overdue credibility to the CWU program.

“We’re not the biggest program, but it’s a really important one,” she said. “It’s been amazing to see how much we’ve grown the past few years, and seeing all of my peers building off that momentum has been super exciting. We all care so much about this program, and I know we’re all going to do great things after graduation.”

Angulo credits his classmates and professors for helping CWU Film build prestige as a “small but mighty” program. He and the other award winners praised the work of Assistant Professor Philip DeRise in helping them reach their potential as filmmakers.

“I remember when Professor DeRise came to campus for an interview,” said Angulo, who is finishing up his fourth year on campus. “I saw so much potential for what he could bring to the program, and since he’s been here, he’s brought a lot of positive change and new ideas. He has taught us so much, and he has also showed us how we can build off of that for the future.”

As the results of the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards seem to indicate, the CWU Film program is quickly building a loyal following.

The students also thanked professors Phan Tran, Michael Caldwell, Jennifer Green, and others for helping facilitate their rapid rise. Diltz believes the faculty’s hard work has positioned the program for sustained growth.

“I think we’ve been on an upward trajectory since DeRise arrived (in 2024), and I feel like we’re ready to keep growing,” he said. “He came in here with a different mindset, and he has worked closely with all of us to figure out our next steps as filmmakers. We have learned so much from him, and these awards show how far we’ve come.”

Thompson, the PULSE Magazine reporter who won a Regional Emmy for “Boots & Boogie,” feels the same can be said about the CWU Communication program. It’s not the largest major on campus, but the quality of instruction can’t be overlooked.

“Success like this doesn't happen by accident,” Thompson said when talking about both the CWU Film and Communication programs. “It shows that students are developing strong storytelling, technical, and creative skills that prepare them for professional careers. As someone involved in journalism and digital media, I think it's exciting to see CWU students earning recognition because it reinforces that our university is producing talented communicators and content creators across multiple disciplines.”

Like her peers, Thompson is looking at her NATAS recognition as something bigger than just a line on her resume. She believes these awards will serve as valuable building blocks for every student who received a nod from NATAS.

“Recognition like this highlights the value of student media and storytelling, whether that's film, journalism, reporting, or digital content creation,” she said. “It also reminds me of the importance of collaboration across different media fields. While recognition is valuable professionally, it's also inspiring because it shows what's possible when students are passionate about telling meaningful stories.”