Houston’s storytellers are proving that some of the nation’s most impactful content isn’t coming from Hollywood or New York.
Filmmakers, television producers, nonprofits, and media organizations across the city earned top honors in the 47th Annual Telly Awards, one of the industry’s premier competitions recognizing excellence in video, television, digital, and streaming content.
Among the local winners were filmmaker Vincent Powell, who earned two Telly Awards for his film work; KSRC Media Plus, which brought home 12 awards; Sisters Network Inc., whose podcast focused on breast cancer survivorship earned a Silver Telly Award for social impact storytelling; and NASA’s Johnson Space Center-connected Artemis II coverage, which captured four Telly Awards.
The annual competition drew nearly 14,000 entries from around the world and was judged by leaders from television networks, streaming platforms, production companies, and digital media organizations.
“Video has never been more contested, more creative, or more consequential than it is right now,” Amanda Needham, managing director of The Telly Awards, said in a statement. “Today’s entertainment is happening in multiple formats, across every screen, and at every budget level.”
Telling Houston’s stories
For Houston-based agency KSRC Media Plus, the awards recognized both commercial excellence and community storytelling.
The company, led by Kim Gagne and Cristina Kooker, earned 12 honors, including five Silver and three Bronze awards for the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s “Keep It Moving” campaign. The agency also received one Silver and three Bronze awards for “The Now with Cris,” a weekly television show highlighting Houston culture, businesses, food, events, and community leaders.
“When you’re creating content for a client, you always hope the message resonates and connects with the audience in a meaningful way,” Gagne said. “To be recognized across multiple categories is a tremendous validation of the creativity, strategy, and storytelling that drive everything we do. We’re especially grateful to the Harris County Toll Road Authority for trusting us with their vision and allowing us to help bring that story to life. This recognition truly reflects the strength of that partnership.”
The pair said celebrating Houston and its people each week is a responsibility they do not take lightly.
“Celebrating this city and its incredible people each week is something we truly love doing,” they said.
Storytelling that saves lives
While some winners were recognized for entertainment and commercial productions, others were honored for creating content designed to improve lives.
Houston-based Sisters Network Inc., the nation’s leading African American breast cancer survivorship organization, earned a Silver Telly Award in the Series, Social Impact category for its “SIS: Sisters in Survivorship Podcast.”
The podcast uses storytelling, education, and survivor experiences to raise awareness about breast health and breast cancer disparities affecting Black women. Season One was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, Merck, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and reached audiences through television and social media.
“Sisters Network Inc. is honored to receive a Telly Award for our podcast, ‘SIS: Sisters in Survivorship,’ using storytelling to advance medical education and amplify the voices, stories, and lived experiences of Black women impacted by breast cancer,” said Caleen Allen, executive producer and host of the podcast and executive vice president of Sisters Network Inc.
“This recognition reflects the power of sisterhood, advocacy, and education to inspire change and save lives.”
Founded in Houston, Sisters Network has spent decades addressing disparities in breast cancer outcomes through education, outreach, and survivor-centered support programs.
Houston’s creative momentum
Houston filmmaker and Texas Southern University professor Vincent Powell also earned two Silver Telly Awards, adding to a growing list of national honors for local filmmakers creating work that blends cinematic storytelling with purpose.
Powell was recognized for two very different projects. One explored leadership through conversations with CEOs across industries, while the other focused on preserving the legacy of Bishop College, the historic Black institution that closed in 1988.
“Winning two Silver Telly Awards this year means more than international recognition,” Powell said. “I’m grateful for the confirmation that the work is landing.”
For Powell, a Houston native, both projects carried personal significance. “The Athena Project” allowed him to sit down with leaders across fields from technology to finance to have deeper conversations about trust, leadership, and growth.
“The thought leadership only works when you believe in the conversation,” Powell said. “And I did.”
The Bishop College project struck even closer to home.
“As a professor at an HBCU myself, I felt the weight of that every day we were in production,” he said. “That story needed to live.”
The award-winning trailer serves as a preview for a planned feature-length documentary. Powell and his team are currently raising funds to complete the project. He credited Dallas-based DHD Films founders Shezad Manjee and Hussein Manjee, producer Ardis Campbell, and the broader production team for helping bring both projects to life.
“This is a great moment,” Powell said. “But there is a lot more ahead.”
From Houston to the moon
Houston’s influence on this year’s Telly Awards extended all the way to space.
NASA earned four 2026 Telly Awards for its coverage of the historic Artemis II mission, which allowed audiences around the world to follow the first crewed journey around the Moon in more than 50 years.
The award-winning coverage included a 24/7 livestream experience that combined real-time mission data, visuals, and expert analysis to make the complex mission accessible to a global audience. NASA also received recognition for science and technology storytelling, documenting astronaut geology training, and for a documentary about the agency’s flagship space telescopes, including Hubble, James Webb, and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
“Today’s entertainment is happening in multiple formats, across every screen, and at every budget level.”
Amanda Needham, Telly Awards
“These Telly Awards recognize the extraordinary NASA teams who brought that historic journey into homes everywhere through innovative storytelling, live coverage, and an unprecedented digital experience,” said Will Boyington, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Communications.
The coverage relied heavily on operations coordinated through NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, reinforcing the city’s role at the center of America’s next chapter in space exploration.
The city’s presence extended beyond independent filmmakers and production companies.
Other Houston-area winners included:
- Univision Houston, which earned a Bronze Telly in the General-Social Impact category for its special Texas Floods: The Road to Recovery.
- KPRC 2 received a Bronze Telly Award for Houston Life Juneteenth 2024 in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.
- Houston Airports was recognized for visual storytelling and communications campaigns designed to engage travelers and showcase Houston as a global destination.
View a complete list of winners at https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to The Defender’s own Bryan Erdy, who also won a Telly Award for a promotional video he made for his children’s book, Midnight.
