EVVYs Experience Gives Emerson Alumni an Industry Edge

When Brooke Giulianti ’20 began working as a segment producer for The Voice, producer Jared Wyso ’11 could tell that she had worked on the EVVYs.

“Right away it was that Emerson connection,” said Giulianti, who has also worked for shows including Dancing with the Stars and World of Dance. “He said he knew I was smart and capable because I had produced the EVVYs.”

Wyso, a seven-time Emmy Award nominee, like Giulianti, had also served as an EVVYs executive producer and said the role carries a shared understanding among alumni.

“EVVY executive producers are aware of the extreme level of hard work, creativity, and dedication involved in being at the helm of the largest student-produced award show in the nation,” Wyso said. “If anyone has what it takes to produce the EVVYs at Emerson, they have what it takes to be a successful television producer professionally.”

Michael Kiaunis ’18, a freelance TV events producer, echoed that sentiment. 

“I’m still hiring Emersonians constantly,” he said, noting that he regularly mentors students and brings them on as production assistants. When he produced Red Bull’s Streamer Games, for instance, he needed a team of 28 people, and estimates that half were recent Emerson graduates.

Kiaunis credits the EVVYs with preparing him for the realities of working in live television. By the time he graduated, he had already developed skills—such as building production schedules, writing rundowns, and understanding scripts—that many in the industry don’t encounter until years into their careers.

“It’s all the same schedules. The rundowns are created exactly the same,” said Kiaunis, who has since returned to be a judge for the EVVYs. “They have a high bar for making EVVYs production documents and the way the show runs is as close to a professional show as possible.”

Today, he continues to work with Rob Paine ’92, whose entertainment production company House of Paine is responsible for broadcasts such as the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and live productions of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. 

“I’ve worked on the Emmys, the Oscars, the Tonys, and I see a lot of the same processes repeated [from the EVVYs],” said Kiaunis. “I just produced The Streamer Awards, and the staff structure is exactly the way the EVVYs are set up.”

Giulianti echoed the professional level of the EVVYs, particularly its emphasis on collaboration.

“It was learning to communicate across multiple departments and working with people. All of that is applicable to the real world. It’s all about communication and being clear and calm when dealing with stressful situations,” said Giulianti. “It gave me real world physical experience with having to solve problems. It was on such a large scale with a large budget for a college.”

Many alumni also credit Media Technologies and Production Director Tony Ascenso ’00, MA ’20, along with his predecessor Diana Barton ’91, for shaping that experience.

“They were both so amazingly helpful. They taught me everything I know,” said Giulianti.

For Anne Dresbach ’04, and many EVVYs alumni, the show provided a pathway for growth. She began as an assistant lighting designer, became a master electrician, and ultimately served as lighting designer her senior year.

Today, she works at VDA, the event design and marketing agency that designs the EVVYs, which was founded by David G. Breen ’78. In her role, she’s consulted on the EVVYs for the past 11 years, advising student lighting designers and electricians on everything from light plots and cabling to programming and time management.

“I’m making sure they know when making color choices…that light is perceived differently by the camera than it is by the eye. Some colors don’t look the same and you have to know which audience is the priority,” said Dresbach. 

She also continues to support students long after the show ends.

“Some are more for emergency calls of ‘This isn’t working right; any idea how to make it work?’” said Dresbach, who added she also regularly hires Emerson alumni.

That ongoing mentorship and the willingness of alumni to hire, guide, and collaborate with one another has become one of the most lasting legacies of the EVVYs.

“It takes a big team to produce great television, and I learned how to be part of one on the EVVYs,” said Wyso.