Editor’s note (7/26/2021): We just learned that Angel Herrera (Theater MFA 12) was also nominated for a 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special for the 77th Golden Globe Awards. Herrera served as the art director for the telecast.
CalArtians earned more than a dozen nominations for the 72nd Emmy Awards when they were announced via livestream Tuesday morning (July 28) by presenters Josh Gad, Tatiana Maslany, and Laverne Cox and host Leslie Jones.
Don Cheadle (Theater BFA 86) earned his 10th nomination for his portrayal of Mo Monroe in Showtime’s Black Monday in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category, while Cecily Strong (Theater BFA 06) received her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the long-running Saturday Night Live.
Director of Photography M. David Mullen (Film/Video MFA 91) was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One-Hour) for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. This marks Mullen’s third Emmy nomination—and he won the same category last year with Mrs. Maisel.
Former Theater faculty and visiting artist Ron Cephas Jones, who starred in the production of CNP’s Prometheus Bound at the Getty Villa in 2013, was nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category for his work on NBC’s This is Us.
Executive Producer Casey Kriley (Film/Video MFA 98) earned three Emmy nominations in two categories this year. In the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, she was part of the producing team for Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up; in the Outstanding Competition Program, she earned nods for Nailed It and Bravo’s Top Chef. Kriley, already an Emmy winner with Top Chef in 2010, has been nominated 19 times throughout her career.
Producer Chelsea Yarnell (Dance BFA 12) has also been nominated in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program for her work on Cheer. The Netflix docuseries focused on a Texas cheer team earned six nominations total. David Nordstrom (Film/Video MFA 05), who worked as a supervising editor on Cheer, received a nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program.
Foley artist Gregg Barbanell (Theater BFA 77) was nominated for two Emmys this year as part of teams for AMC’s Better Call Saul in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) category, as well as for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie for Netflix (in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special category). These Emmy nominations are Barbanell’s 11th and 12th, respectively.
Art director Gloria Lamb (Theater BFA 06) is part of the team nominated for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special for their work on the 62nd Grammy Awards Telecast for CBS. This is Lamb’s sixth Emmy nomination; she won the Emmy in 2016 for her work on the Oscars telecast. Nominated in the same category is Angel Herrera (Theater MFA 12), who was nominated for his art direction on the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which aired on NBC.
In the lighting category, CalArtians are once again vying against each other for the top prize. For Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series, Robert Barnhart (Theater BFA 87) was nominated for the So You Think You Can Dance Finale (FOX) and Dan Boland (Theater BFA 95) and Johnny Bradley (Theater BFA 07) were nominated for The Voice Finale. Christian Hibbard (Theater MFA 92), lighting designer, and Kille Knobel (Theater BFA 94), lighting director, were part of a team nominated for Jimmy Kimmel Live! • Jimmy Kimmel Live in Brooklyn.
Additionally, Barnhart picked up another nomination for his work on the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in the Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special category.
In the Outstanding Main Title Design category, designer Benjamin Woodlock (Art MFA 13) was part of the team that created the nominated sequence for HBO’s Watchmen, which earned the most nominations of any show this year with 26.
The Emmy Awards will be presented on Sunday, Sept. 20 on ABC.