Emerson Alumni Earn Emmy Noms Across TV’s Biggest Shows

From The Pitt and Paradise to The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Emerson College alumni are once again well represented among this year’s Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

The Television Academy announced nominations for the 78^th Annual Emmy Awards on July 8.

Among the nominees are several alumni with extensive Emmy pedigrees, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Co-Executive Producer Opus Moreschi ’00, a five-time Emmy Award winner; The Simpsons Executive Producer John Frink ’85, a seven-time Emmy Award winner, and eight-time Emmy Award winner and Stranger Things Music Director David Klotz ‘94.

Longtime television producer Rob Paine ’92 earned two nominations for his work on both The Oscars and Wicked: One Wonderful Night.

The Emerson alumni nominated for 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards are:

• Alex Disenhof ’09 — Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour), Task: Crossings (director of photography); This is Disenhof’s first Emmy Award nomination.
• David Klotz ’94 — Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series, Stranger Things (music editor); Klotz has won eight Emmy Awards and received 24 nominations.
• Joe Mande ’05 — Outstanding Comedy Series, Hacks (executive producer); Mande has won one Emmy Award and received seven nominations.
• Opus Moreschi ’00 — Outstanding Variety Series, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (co-executive producer); Moreschi has won five Emmy Awards and received 28 nominations.
• Rob Paine ’92 — Outstanding Variety Special (Live), The Oscars (executive producer); and Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Wicked: One Wonderful Night (co-executive producer). Paine has won two Emmy Awards and received 20 nominations.
• Ballard C. Boyd ’04 — Outstanding Variety Series, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (producer); Boyd has won two Emmy Awards and received six nominations.
• Ellen Jaworski ’11 — Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special, 68th Annual Grammy Awards (art director); This is Jaworski’s third Emmy Award nomination.
• Steve Welch ’92 — Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program, Welcome to Wrexham (editor); Welch has won three Emmy Awards and received five nominations.
• Christopher Salerno ’17 — Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment), Saturday Night Live (editor); Salerno has won one Emmy Award and received three nominations.
• Eric Beetner ’92 — Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program, The Amazing Race (editor); This is Beetner’s eighth Emmy Award nomination.
• Thomas Czupryna ’07 — Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program, Welcome to Wrexham (editor); This is Czupryna’s first Emmy Award nomination.
• Derek Desmond ’09 — Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Death by Lightning (additional editor); This is Desmond’s first Emmy Award nomination.
• Tyler Ericson ’19 — Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special, The Oscars and the 78th Annual Tony Awards (lighting director); This is Ericson’s third and fourth Emmy Award nominations.
• John Frink ’85 — Outstanding Animated Program, The Simpsons (executive producer); Frink has won seven Emmy Awards and received 24 nominations.
• Ryan Healey ’20 — Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special, Wicked: One Wonderful Night (lighting director); This is Ryan Healey’s first Emmy Award nomination.
• Tamara Luciano ’06 — Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series, The Pitt (editor); This is Luciano’s first Emmy Award nomination.
• Chris Nguyen-Gia ’09 — Outstanding Drama Series, Paradise (producer); This is Nguyen-Gia’s second Emmy Award nomination.
• Amanda Sprecher ’10 — Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (editor); This is Sprecher’s first Emmy Award nomination.

Winners will be announced during the 2026 Emmy Awards ceremonies later this year. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will take place live on September 14, 2026. The event is preceded by the Creative Arts Emmy Awards during the weekend of September 5–6, 2026.

Did we miss anyone? Let us know at alumni@emerson.edu.