Full Sail University Graduates on Nominated Projects at the Emmys & Oscars

Every year, the Primetime Emmys and the Academy Awards honor the year’s greatest achievements in film and television. Full Sail University offers a robust selection of degrees that can prepare students for those industries, and the school’s graduates frequently appear in the credits of projects nominated for Emmys and Oscars. The 2024 Primetime Emmys and the 2025 Oscars were no exception: At the Emmys, 73 grads worked on 45 winning projects in 69 categories, and four graduates won their own Emmys. At the Oscars, 47 graduates were credited on 18 nominated projects in 21 categories, with two grads nominated for their own Oscars.

Here's more information about Full Sail grads who have been credited on award-worthy projects, and the variety of Full Sail degree programs that focus on film and television.

The 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards

Full Sail grads worked in a number of different roles on last year’s Emmy-nominated shows. Overall, 196 grads worked on 184 nominated projects in 103 categories, with 12 graduates nominated for their own Emmys. 

Grads Alexandra Paola Garcia Ortiz (Associate Finishing Producer) and Eric Sibley (Visual Effects Supervisor) both worked on Netflix’s Ripley, which received 13 nominations in categories like Outstanding Limited Anthology Series and Outstanding Special Effects In A Single Episode. 

Amazon Prime’s Fallout was nominated in 16 categories including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes. Alumni like Miccah Underwood (Set Decoration Coordinator/Art Department Coordinator) and Kendell Darian Copeland (Lead Layout TD) helped bring the video game adaptation to life.

When the winners were announced, 73 Full Sail grads were credited on 45 winning projects, including Sh?gun, The Bear, Fallout, Hacks, and Ripley.

In addition, four Full Sail graduates won their own Emmy statuettes.

Patrick Christensen

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation, The Bear– “Forks”

Mark Hailstone

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour), Sh?gun – “Broken To The Fist”

Gary A. Rizzo

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Nonfiction Program, The Beach Boys

Kyle Rottman

Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie, Sh?gun

The 2025 Academy Awards

This year, 47 Full Sail University alumni were credited on 18 nominated projects in 21 categories, with two grads nominated for their own Oscars. 

Recording Arts grads Nancy Nugent Title and Gary A. Rizzo were both nominated for their own Oscar statuettes. Gary earned his nomination for his contributions as a Re-Recording Mixer on The Wild Robot, while Nancy received a nod for her role as a Supervising Sound Editor on Wicked.

Several other grads also worked on Wicked, which was nominated in 10 categories including Best Picture. Grads Mario Alexander Orlando (Animator) and Chelsea Goodchild (Digital Artist) contributed to the marvelous look of Oz, while Jeffrey Roy (ADR Mixer) and Geraldo Gutierrez (Re-Recording Mix Technician) helped with the film’s audio.

Grads like Kalani Akuna (Graphic Designer), Vinny Alfano (ADR Recordist), and David Betancourt (ADR Mixer) all worked on the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which was nominated in eight categories including Best Picture and Best Sound.

The Substance was nominated in five categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Makeup & Hairstyling; grads Judah Getz and Patrick Christensen both worked as ADR Mixers on the body horror flick. Graduate Trino Madriz was an ADR Mixer on Nosferatu, which was nominated in four categories including Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.

Additional grads worked on nominated projects like Conclave, Anora, and Dune: Part Two. 

Full Sail’s Film & Television-Focused Degree Programs

Full Sail offers degree programs that can help students prepare for roles both on and off set in the film and television industries. These include:

• Film bachelor’s degree: Explore the filmmaking process from start to finish and work with a crew of your fellow students to complete a short film. 
• Digital Cinematography bachelor’s degree: Learn to create video content for a variety of mediums and get familiar with the entrepreneurial aspects of filmmaking.
• Creative Writing bachelor’s degree: Learn to develop ideas and tell stories across a range of mediums, including film and television. 
• Computer Animation bachelor’s degree: Discover the animation process from storyboarding to final compositing and learn professional workflows for creating animations.
• Show Production bachelor’s degree: Learn how to use lighting, audio, and more to create and run memorable live productions.
• Film Production MFA: Take your filmmaking to the next level and learn about storytelling, aesthetics, technical roles, and business strategies for bringing your completed works to audiences.

Ready to Learn More?

Interested in exploring Full Sail University’s film and television degree options? Ask for more information here, or take a campus tour.