2026
Our alumni, students, and faculty are making a profound impact in the entertainment and media industries and beyond. See the highlights from 2026 so far!
While it is impossible to track all of our community's incredible accomplishments, we are always looking for opportunities to celebrate your successes. If you are a TexasEx, we invite you to share details with us about your new projects, awards & recognition, publications, and professional triumphs—so we can share them with the world!
2026 Affiliate Accomplishment Highlights
January-July
Awards, nominations and achievements
Tupur Chatterjee (Ph.D.) won the Best First Book Award at the 2026 Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Annual Conference.
Jennifer Holt (M.A. Media Studies) won the Katherine Singer Kovács Book Award at the 2026 Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Annual Conference.
Professor Emeritus Tom Schatz received a rare Starred review in Publishers’ Weekly for his book, “Power Surge: Conglomerate Hollywood and the Studio System's Last Hurrah.”
Korey Pereira (faculty) was nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Dialogue/ADR for his work on “Stranger Things” season 5.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!," directed by Andy Fisher (B.S.), received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series.
"Mr. Scorsese," edited by David Bartner (B.S.), received 3 Primetime Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Picture Editing for A Nonfiction Program.
"Sean Combs: The Reckoning," executive produced by David Karabinas (B.S.), received 3 Primetime Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
“Abbott Elementary,” executive-produced by Patrick Schumacker (B.S.; co-showrunner), received 7 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
“Hacks,” produced by Ashley Glazier (B.S.), was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Vance Kotrla (B.S.) won an Emmy for Public Service Announcement at the 78th Los Angeles Emmy Awards for the PSA titled “Emergency Lights? Pull to the Right, LA36,” which he directed, produced and wrote.
Robert Hope (MFA Production) was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work on his feature documentary in the Republic of Georgia.
Other accolades
Kevin Shivers (B.S.) was featured on the cover of Pollstar’s Booking Agency Directory, featured on Billboard's Power 100 List, and named co-president of music at management company The Team.
Ashley Robinson (B.S.) was chosen as one of ten filmmakers for Paul Feig’s Studio Ready Initiative, designed to bridge the gap for women filmmakers between independent and studio production.
Tania Romero (M.A., Media Studies) was accepted to the highly competitive Cinematography Intensive Workshop at the American Film Institute in LA as well as a competitive filmmaking workshop experience through Barcelona-based Extática Cine under the tutelage of director Werner Herzog.
Elissa Malek Johnson (B.S.) was named to the 2026 Realscreen Factual Under 40 list, which recognizes emerging leaders in unscripted and non‑fiction content.
Noah Isenberg was one of two UT Austin professors named to the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
David Karabinas (B.S.) is co-founder and CEO of Texas Crew Productions, which was recognized as part of Realscreen’s Global 100 in the “Buyers Pick” category.
Kevin Myers (B.S. RTF & B.J.) was chosen by C-SPAN to be among its first four multimedia journalists for the C-SPAN Campaign 2026 initiative, Road to the Capitol: Coverage from the Trail.
Chelsea Hernandez (B.S.) was one of 10 independent producers selected as a 2026 Sundance Institute Producer Labs Fellow with the feature documentary “The School of Hope,” directed by Amy Martinez.
Robert Hope (MFA) was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work on his feature documentary in the Republic of Georgia.
Books Published
- Kathy Fuller-Seely (faculty) and Frank Thompson, “The First Movie Studio in Texas”
- Korey Pereira (faculty), “Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures and Television: A Guide to the Invisible Art”
- Tom Schatz (professor emeritus), “Power Surge: Conglomerate Hollywood and the Studio System's Last Hurrah”