At the 76th Emmy Awards on September 15, USC Alumni brought home wins with hit programs like “Shogun,” “Hacks” and “The Daily Show,” among others. USC and its alumni network continue to build a long list of wins at the Emmys, with a total of eight awards going to former USC students last night.
USC alums are not new to Emmys success. At the 75th Emmys, which were postponed until January of 2024 due to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, USC alumni scored 11 awards. Many of these alums graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), which The Hollywood Reporter ranked the top film school in the U.S. in 2024. This year, alums received 89 nominations for their work in television, according to SCA.
David Deiser, a senior majoring in film and television production at SCA, said the connections offered through the Trojan network are “very valuable” as a student seeking a future film career. “The people that you’re working on these projects with are all the same people going into the industry with you,” he explained
Will Yeaman, a junior theatre major at the School of Dramatic Arts, said USC’s acting program offers the same networking advantages. “The network is at my fingertips,” he said. “The people I am in class with, who’s to say I won’t be working with them ten years down the line?”
According to the School of Cinematic Arts, the USC alumni that were nominated for awards at the 76th Emmys include: Athena Wickham ‘02, Zack Dunn ‘16, Tara Shivkumar ‘18, Bob Greenblat ‘87, Michelle Denise Jackson ‘17, Kristin Hahn ‘92, Emily Ferenbach, John Blair ‘08, Joshua Allen ‘05, Sarah Mckaig ‘00, Hiro Murai ‘06, Rian Johnson ‘96, Ava Coleman ‘15, Matteo Borghese ‘11, Rob Turvosky ‘11, Chris Koch ‘05, Garret Basch, Yana Gorskaya ‘02, Shamell Bell ‘11, Brad Winderbaum ‘05, Kevin Feige ‘95, Randy Zisk ‘81, Beau Bauman ‘01, Ashley Edens ‘99, Bob Bain ‘80, Jillian Novak ‘03, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer ‘74, Ewa Mularczyk ‘06, Sara Mardam-Bey ‘14, John Salcido ‘99, Cody Shelton ‘02, Bellamie Blackstone ‘01, Chuck Ozeas ‘91, Adam Bricker ‘08, Robert Elswit ‘75, Kyle Reiter, Isaac Hagy ‘06, Kevin Hibbard ‘04, Jay Gammill ‘07, Paul C. Nielsen ‘97, Matt Antell ‘03, Madigan Stehly ‘07, Erin Anderson ‘12, Nick Chuba ‘04, Sarah Barone ‘18, James Newton Howard, Chanda Dancy ‘03, Carlos Rafael Rivera ‘04, Jake Nordwind ‘09, Eli Brueggemann ‘03, Mark Vertullo ‘86, Jimmy Fowlie ‘08, Danielle Dupre ‘11, Christian Schrader ‘91, Sara Balencivenga ‘07, Jane Boegel ‘93, Kimberly Patrick ‘12, Tim Farrell ‘02, Ben Schor ‘92, Erin Anderson ‘12.
Here’s a list of some of the biggest wins for USC alumni at the 76th Emmys:
Outstanding Drama Series:
“Shogun” (FX)
“Shogun” was anticipated to sweep the Emmys. In the outstanding drama series category, the show beat “The Gilded Age” (HBO), “Fallout” (Amazon Prime Video), “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (Amazon Prime Video), “The Morning Show” (Apple TV), “3 Body Problem” (Netflix), “Slow Horses” (Apple TV) and “The Crown” (Netflix).
Two USC alumni worked on “Shogun:” Geraud Brisson, a consulting producer who graduated in 1999, and Eriko Miyagawa, a producer who graduated in 2013. Brisson and Miyagawa worked on all 10 episodes of Shogun. Brisson is also known for his editing on “CODA” (2021), directed by Sian Heder. Miyagawa is credited with co-producing “Silence” (2016), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Outstanding Comedy Series:
“Hacks” (Max)
“Hacks” won in this year’s hot-to-watch category. The show beat out “Abbott Elementary” (ABC), “The Bear” (Hulu), “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO), “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), Palm Royale (Apple TV), “Reservation Dogs” (FX) and “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX).
Aisha Muharrar, a former student at SCA’s Screen and Television graduate program, co-executive produced the show’s past two seasons. Muharrar produced three seasons of “Parks and Recreation” (NBC) and two seasons of “The Good Place” (NBC).
Best Talk Series:
“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
“The Daily Show” took home Best Talk Series. Other nominees include “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS), “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC), and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC).
David Paul Meyer, class of 2010, has directed the show since 2018. Sarah Hamblin, class of 2007, has directed and produced for the show since 2016. The two took home the same award at the 2023 Emmys.
Outstanding Animated Program:
“Blue Eye Samurai” (Netflix)
The second season of “Blue Eye Samurai”, Netflix’s acclaimed series, beat “Bob’s Burgers” (FOX), “Scavenger’s Reign” (Max), “The Simpsons” (FOX), and “X-Men ‘97″ (DISNEY+).
Kevin Hart, class of 2016, was an associate producer on the show.
Outstanding Television Movie:
“Quiz Lady” (Hulu)
The star-studded Hulu original “Quiz Lady” took home the award for outstanding television movie. Other nominees include “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie” (Peacock), “Red White and Royal Blue” (Prime Video), SCOOP (Netflix) and Unfrosted (Netflix).
Producer power-couple, Will Ferrell, who graduated in 1990, and Jessica Elbaum, class of 1999, scored for “Quiz Lady”. This is Ferrell’s sixth Emmy and Elbaum’s first.