Gold Winner – General: History (Telly Awards 2025)
Gold Winner – People’s Telly: Online Series, Shows & Segments
Silver Winner – General: Biography
Silver Winner – General: Documentary: Individual
In November 2024, iOne Digital and NewsOne tapped L2C Studios to produce an episode of Black Joy Blazers centered around poet and activist Nikki Giovanni. The interview was filmed just one week after the 2024 presidential election, a period marked by national tension, cultural fatigue, and social reckoning. What we didn’t know at the time: this would be Ms. Giovanni’s final recorded interview and last on-camera performance.
In her usual fashion, she showed up bold, honest, and unfiltered—expressing her disappointment in the election outcome and in the state of Black America, while still managing to leave us with a message of hope. There were laughs. There were tears. But above all, there was truth.
“Today we brought some comfort because we brought some truth. So many people don’t — and that sucks the joy out of it. There can be no comfort without truth.”
— Nikki Giovanni
The interview quickly became one of the most emotionally resonant pieces in the series. Following Ms. Giovanni’s passing a month later, the episode was widely shared as a tribute to her impact and legacy. Despite its simplicity—a single-day shoot, naturalistic lighting, and a minimal crew—the episode was powerful, poignant, and deeply human. It stands as a reminder that the strength of a story lies in the subject and in the care of those telling it.
Credits:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: JARRED MCGRIFF, L2C STUDIOS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CLICHÉ WYNTER-MAYO, IONE, NEWSONE
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT: ALLISON MCGEVNA, iONE, NewsOne
VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL: KIRSTEN WEST SAVALI, iONE, NewsOne
VICE PRESIDENT, VIDEO: TANYA HOFFLER-MOORE, iONE, NewsOne
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION, VIDEO: NAIMA SIMMONS, iONE, NewsOne
DIRECTOR OF VIDEO DEVELOPMENT: JAKE EDWARDS, iONE, NewsOne
SUPERVISING PRODUCER: JOSE TORRES, iONE, NewsOne
PRODUCER: PHAKISO COLLINS
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR: JARRED MCGRIFF, L2C Studios
PRODUCTION MANAGER: RASHON ALBANY
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: NORA DOCKERY
CAMERA OPERATOR: CHRISTOPHER SANTOS, L2C Studios
GAFFER: LUIS LOPEZ, L2C Studios
AUDIO MIXER: ANTHONY CHARLES, L2C Studios
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: JOSHUA MCGRIFF, L2C Studios
PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEXANDER MAYO