13 TU community members win regional Emmys
Oyster beer documentary dubbed a pearl by NATAS
By Cody Boteler on July 8, 2021
Jena ’11 and Mark ’14 Burchick, Department of Electronic Media and Film (EMF) faculty, won a regional Emmy for their documentary about a local beer brewed with oysters.
The 8-minute film, “The Local Oyster Stout,” topped the “Chesapeake Heritage - Short Form Content” category for the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on June 26.
“It was a moment of shock and then immense pride,” Jena says. “It was so great, during the isolating experience of COVID, to look at my partner and collaborator and know we’re feeling the exact same thing.”
The married couple dined at Baltimore’s La Cuchara while watching the award ceremony’s livestream and ordered champagne to celebrate their win.
“Both sets of our parents immediately called us, too; that was really fun to have that immediate satisfaction,” Mark says. “We weren’t at some fancy gala, but we could celebrate with our community.”
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The Burchicks’ film tells the story of the collaboration between Waverly Brewing Company and restaurant The Local Oyster that produced the stout. The filmmakers also use the documentary to educate viewers about Chesapeake Bay conservation and how oysters bolster the environment.
“It’s nice to take a topic that has broad interest, like craft beer, for the documentary and, behind that, it’s a film about conservation, sustainable practices,” Jena says.
Jena is working on a new documentary called “Our Time Kitchen,” about two Baltimore chefs creating a community kitchen for marginalized groups. Mark will be a studio art MFA candidate at TU this fall.
“I can’t wait to bring the Emmy to show our students, ‘Hey look, it’s real,’” Jena says. “To show them it’s possible to succeed in this field.”
The following alumni also won a Capital Emmy:
Emily Tognocchi Cavey ’09, executive producer, WJZ
Gail Bending ‘79, news director, WJZ
Steve Williams ‘98, photographer, WTTG
Ray Rogowski ‘13, investigative producer, WBFF
Frank Batavick ‘90, executive producer, Maryland Public Television
Philip Cunningham ‘09, producer, Ravens Productions
Jeffrey Atkinson ‘86, director/photographer, Ravens Productions
Imani Muleyyar ‘13, producer/editor, NBC Sports Washington
David M. Lundin ’99, ‘03, executive producer, Washington Nationals
David Michael Berman ‘11, editor, Montgomery Community Media
Jay O’Brien ‘14, executive producer/writer, Ravens Productions
Matt Brevet ‘06, producer/writer, Ravens Productions