Pitt’s Emmy Award winners

Revisit the stories of five Emmy Award-nominated writers, journalists, artists and more who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. Nominees for the 75th Emmy Awards will be announced July 12.

A story with impact

Justin Carter (A&S ’12) earned a Mid-America Emmy while working as a TV journalist in Springfield, Illinois, for producing an investigation into the state’s foster care system. The program, which also garnered honors from the Associated Press and the Radio Television Digital News Association, led to policy changes and better funding for the foster program. Find out why his Emmy sits on his parents’ mantle.

A spellbinding storyteller

Kay Oyegun (A&S ’10, BUS ’10) rose from staff writer to co-executive producer and writer of the critically acclaimed drama “This Is Us.” The Pittsburgh-based series and its actors have garnered not only Emmys, but many of the industry’s most coveted accolades, including Golden Globe, Critics Choice, People’s Choice, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America awards. Learn about Oyegun’s path to using her voice.

A Muppet maker

Making it in the entertainment industry takes talent, but even more important is “stubborn determination,” according to Darcy Prevost (A&S ’05). And she would know — the alumna went from painting sets for small California theaters to working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars on “Muppets Haunted Mansion,” which earned her a Children’s and Family Emmy. Read more about Prevost’s award-winning career.

A lasting legacy

Before she was making Emmy Award-winning contributions to “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” Aisha White (A&S ’87, SCI ’93G, ’03G) worked in a small office with Fred Rogers himself. Earlier still, as a library science graduate, White introduced him as a special speaker at her Pitt commencement ceremony. Watch her speech and revisit the legacy of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood.”

Plus: a true talent nominated

Before he graduated from Pitt, Jesse Irwin (A&S ’17) was a finalist for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Student Production, along with the late-night show he started as only a sophomore at Pitt. Now, “Pitt Tonight” is a fixture on campus. Here’s how he turned a crazy idea into reality.

Photography by Tom M. Johnson. Pictured: Darcy Prevost.