August 3, 2020
Alumni Represent USC in 72th Primetime Emmy Awards Race
By Jesus Nuñez
The 72th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out on September 20th in a virtual ceremony that will be broadcast on ABC. On July 28th the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced this year’s nominees, recognizing hundreds of creators who shaped the most praised and influential shows over this last year. Among the recognized creators were a total of thirty-three USC Alumni in categories for writing, directing, and acting.
School of Cinematic Arts alumnus Peter Gould received two nominations for executive producing the Better Call Saul and a short form comedy/drama series Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler (AMC). The successful Breaking Bad spinoff was also recognized in various categories, with ’93 alumna Jane Bougel nominated for dialogue editing in the episode Bagman, written by alum Gordon Smith, who also received a nominated for outstanding writing in a drama series. In addition to her work on Better Call Saul, Jane Bougel received two other nominations for dialogue editing for her work in Westworld and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story.
Another show which garnered wide acclaim and earned multiple nominations was HBO’s Watchmen, with USC alumni Regina King and Carly Gray nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Limited Series and executive producing for an Outstanding Limited Series, respectively.
Among other outstanding productions, alumni’s work received praise in shows such as Queer Eye, The Good Place, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Stranger Things, The Mandalorian, and American Horror Story 1984.
Apart from recognizing the shows from more popular network and streaming services such as Netflix, HBO, and Disney Plus, the new short form streaming service Quibi, founded by SCA board member Jeffrey Katzenberg, also received some recognition, with its show Most Dangerous Game, executive produced by SCA alumni Gordon Gray, nominated for outstanding short form comedy/drama series. The Comedy Central Show, Drunk History, based on the acclaimed internet series, earned a nomination for Production Design from Monica Sotto.
Whether working in large or small productions, USC alumni played a significant role in shaping the entertainment landscape of 2019 and 2020, working on some of the most successful shows of this generation and playing a significant role in the pioneering of new entertainment mediums. Below, is attached full list of USC alumni nominated for the Emmy Awards.
USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC Alumni Emmy Nominations 2020
Outstanding Short Form Animated Program
Robot Chicken (Adult Swim)
Deirdre Devlin '08, Writer
Santa's Dead (Spoiler Alert) Holiday Murder Thing Special
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Peter Gould ’90, Executive Producer
Gordon Smith ’08, Co-Executive Producer
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Shawn Levy ’94, Executive Producer
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Good Place (NBC)
Aisha Muharrar, Co-Executive Producer
Insecure (HBO)
Prentice Penny ’95, Executive Producer’
Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Raamla Mohammed ’08, Co-Executive Producer
Mrs. America (Hulu)
Stacey Sher ’85, Executive Producer
Watchmen (HBO)
Carly Wray ’05, Co-Executive Producer
Outstanding Television Movie
Bad Education (HBO)
Julia Lebedev ’06, Producer
Outstanding Children’s Program
Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
Javier Grillo-Marxuach ’93, Co-Executive Producer
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Queer Eye (Netflix)
David Eilenberg ’99, Executive Producer
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
The Great Hack (Netflix)
Judy Korin ’91, Producer
Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler (AMC)
Peter Gould ’90, Executive Producer
Most Dangerous Game (Quibi)
Gordon Gray, Executive Producer
INDIVIDUAL NOMINATIONS
Hisham Abed ’86, Director
Queer Eye • “Disabled But Not Really”
Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
Sara Bencivenga ’07, ADR Editor
Westworld • “Parce Domine”
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Peter Bawiec '15, Re-recording Mixer
Modern Family "Finale: Part 1"
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half Hour and Animation)
Jane Boegel ’93, Dialogue Editor
Better Call Saul • “Bagman”
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Westworld • “Parce Domine”
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special
Jeff Cronenweth ’84, Director of Photography
Tales From The Loop • “Loop”
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
Ludwig Göransson, Composer
The Mandalorian • “Chapter 8: Redemption”
Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Yana Gorskaya ’02, Editor
What We Do In The Shadows • “Resurrection”
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
Cassidy Hartmann ’11, Producer
The Apollo
Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special.
Patrick Hogan ’98, Dialogue Editor
American Horror Story: 1984 • “Camp Redwood”
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special
Ian Kaufman ’01, Editor
LEGO Masters • “Mega City Block”
Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Reality Or Competition Program
Regina King, Actress
Watchmen
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie
Jody McVeigh-Schultz ’05, Supervising Editor
McMillion$ • Episode 3
Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program
McMillion$ • Episode 1
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Nonfiction Program
Matt Mercer ’10, Additional Editor
Life Below Zero • “The New World”
Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program
David Paul Meyer ’10, Director
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah • “Dr. Fauci Answers Trevor's Questions About Coronavirus”
Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
Brian Oakes ’02, Director
Abstract: The Art of Design
Outstanding Main Title Design
Jon Schneider ’96, Camera Operator
RuPaul's Drag Race • “VH1”
Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program
John Simmons ’76, Director of Photography
Family Reunion • “Remember Black Elvis?”
Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-Camera Series
Gordon Smith ’08, Writer
Better Call Saul • “Bagman”
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Monica Sotto ’05, Production Designer
Drunk History • “Bad Blood”
Outstanding Production Design For A Variety, Reality Or Competition Series
Madigan Stehly ’14, Lighting Director
So You Think You Can Dance • Finale
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series
62nd Grammy Awards
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special
Michael Swingler ’09, Additional Editor
Life Below Zero • “The New World”
Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program
Karina Torrico ’01, Assistant Costume Designer
Dancing With The Stars • “Halloween Night”
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program
* Please contact us at alumni@cinema.usc.edu if we inadvertently missed your nomination.