2024 Board of GOVERNORs EMMy®AWARD
Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol
Visionary broadcaster and community activist Sheletta Brundidge used her small business/production company Sheletta Makes Me Laugh to create and then cover Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol.
Unlike other groups that retain lobbyists to further their interests, Brundidge recognized that Black small business owners (like her) lacked a presence at the Capitol while the pie was being cut and decisions that affected them were being made.
Brundidge conceived and executed Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol to change that, and created a plan to broadcast the activities of the day as a public service.
On Feb 16, 2024, Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol brought hundreds of Black business owners and their allies to the seat of government in St Paul to flex their political muscle.
Sheletta Makes Me Laugh produced multi-camera live coverage of the full event, carried on KARE11.
Brundidge herself not only hosted this first-of-its-kind event but also led the large team of photographers, producers, writers, runners and others in coordinating the broadcast.
Their live coverage gave the larger community a window to the event. Viewers who tuned into the broadcast got the chance to listen to inspiring stories told by Black small business owners at the Rally in the Rotunda.
Viewers also heard from elected leaders, (including Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan, Senate President Bobby Joe Champion and Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman) legislators and policy makers.
Broadcasting the event elevated the mission of Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol and provided coverage of a vital business community whose struggles and triumphs have been largely ignored or neglected.
This ambitious broadcast broadened the impact of the groundbreaking day, demystified the political process, and put an unprecedented spotlight on the needs, values and accomplishments of Minnesota’s Black entrepreneurs.
Upper Midwest Board of Governors Emmy® Award
The National Academy of Television Arts & Science (NATAS) – Upper Midwest Chapter Board of Governors Award is the most prestigious Regional Emmy® Award in our chapter. It is voted on by solely by the board.
The Governor’s Emmy® Award is presented in recognition of achievements by individuals, organizations, or companies, within the Chapter’s designated region, which do not fall within the structure of the Chapter’s regular awards.
Historically, the Board of Governors’ Award is for truly outstanding and unique accomplishments or for achievements of some duration and durability in our industry. For this award, a Regional Emmy® statuette is presented.
This award can be given to an individual, a company, or an organization for outstanding achievements in the arts, sciences or management of television which is either of a cumulative nature or extraordinary and universal in nature as to be beyond the realm of the awards presented in the categories of achievements.
Contributions to the industry in the Chapter’s region should be an important consideration when determining Board of Governors’ Award recognition. Those who appear as an interview subject or expert in a given field do not qualify.
This year’s award will be presented at the 25th Annual Upper Midwest Regional Awards Show on October 19th, 2024.