SUMMIT, NJ — Summit High School Alumnus Keyshawn Reese has received two nominations for the Television Academy Foundation’s 42nd College Television Awards.
The foundation’s annual College Television Awards recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges across the country. Winners in the competition will be announced by television stars at the red carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, April 1, at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, Calif.
Reese, along with six classmates from Montclair State University, has been nominated in the News category for a project titled “Focus: Disruption — Moving Forward.” Reese served as producer and writer on the project, which was selected from over 132 submissions from colleges and universities nationwide by Television Academy members.
“Focus: Disruption — Moving Forward” is a one-hour news special from Montclair News Lab that investigates the impact of the coronavirus on college students’ lives and what it means to get back to normal. It explores how institutions and individuals are overcoming obstacles to get back to living life productively. The program is the culmination of months of reporting and production.
“We took the topic of COVID and focused on how we as a world can move forward from some of the physical and mental effects it placed on many people,” said Reese. “I believe people will find this program informative and someday use the information learned and apply it to their lives.”
Additionally, Reese, along with 13 classmates from Montclair State University, received a second nomination in the News category for New Orleans/Raging Storms, a Montclair News Lab Special Edition. The program features a group of student journalists who travel to New Orleans to report on two key issues: climate change and racial injustice. Reese served as a producer and writer on the project.
“Being nominated is one of my greatest achievements,” said Reese. “It shows me that things you once thought would never be obtainable can be.”
Reese graduated from MSU and currently works as an associate producer on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta.
2023 College Television Awards nominees will also participate in a variety of professional-development activities from Wednesday, March 29, to Saturday, April 1, including a special screening of all nominated projects attended by members of the Television Academy, an industry-professionals networking breakfast, Hollywood studio visits and additional career-enhancing activities before the red carpet awards show.
Nominees and winners of the 42nd College Television Awards automatically become members of the Television Academy Foundation’s alumni family, gaining access to year-round networking opportunities, events and professional development resources. Prominent College Television Awards alumni include CNN national correspondent Natasha Chen; Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” director Patricia Riggen; “Maya and the Three” executive producer Jorge Gutierrez; and “Love, Victor” executive producer Jason Ensler.