VPA Film Faculty Receive Emmy Award Nomination

Two film faculty members in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) have received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Children/Youth/Teen from the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

David Tarleton, professor of film and chair of VPA’s Department of Film and Media Arts, and Adria Dawn, an actor and instructor in the film and media arts and drama departments, were nominated for “Identity,” one of eight short films in the “Kids Matter: Inside the Minds of Teens and Tweens” series aimed at middle- and high school-aged youth. Each film focuses on a different social issue, such as cyberbullying, depression and school shootings. “Identity” is LGBTQ+ themed, focusing on gender identity, pronouns and chosen family.

“Identity” was produced by Revealing Media Group, a filmmaking partnership between Tarleton and Dawn’s multimedia production company Tarleton/Dawn Productions (TDP) and The Performer’s School in Highwood, Illinois. Tarleton and Dawn served as co-directors as well as co-producers.

Since founding TDP in 2004, Tarleton and Dawn have worked on numerous projects together in different media and are most known for their films for social change. Recently, they’ve won three Telly Awards: for their award-winning Black Lives Matter film “Karen,” for their alcohol use disorder film “Gray Area,” and one for “Identity.”

The Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards will be presented on Saturday, Nov. 11.