The 15th Annual television and film arts Pioneer Awards was held on April 7th, 2025 at the student union social hall with a turnout of over 100 audience members.

The Pioneer Awards are Buffalo State’s student version of The Oscars where TFA students submit their short films and have the opportunity to win awards.

The event recognizes hard-working TFA Students, the projects they created throughout the previous year, and their dedication toward the craft of filmmaking.

For the first time, the event screened the three nominations for best picture before announcing the winner so the audience had the pleasure of watching three short films.

Honestly, Work, written and directed by Angel Barber. Shoelaces, written and directed by Eddie D. Murphy. And My Friend Johnathon, written and directed by Kevin Emmanuel Thompson.

My Friend Johnathon sure did stick with its viewers, at least those who watched it all the way through without looking away as it featured the main character making out with a fish and repeatedly getting live worms shoved in his mouth.

The chairmen of the event this year were Samantha Tocke, Alec Henry, and Padraig MacDevitt. The three were absolutely dedicated and put an enormous amount of work into the magical night with their bits in between announcements and screenings.

Admission was free with the option of taking a photo on a red carpet setup with friends or family and snacks available at each table.

The tradition of the Pioneer Awards was created and upheld by the director of the television and film arts department, Jeffrey Hirschberg, who founded the program back in 2009.

The award categories include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

Submissions are limited to the television and films arts majors and were submitted this year by February, 14th. Each category consists of three nominations.

The “academy” of voters is made up of TFA alumni, Buffalo State professors, and trusted colleagues of Jefferey Hirschberg.

The 2025 Pioneer Award nominees and winners are:

Best Picture
Honestly, Work – Angel Barber – WINNER
Shoelaces – Eddie D. Murphy
My Friend Johnathon – Kevin Emmanuel Thompson & Christopher Stewart

Best Director
Shoelaces – Eddie D. Murphy – WINNER
Honestly, Work – Angel Barber
My Friend Johnathon – Kevin Emmanuel Thompson & Christopher Stewart

Best Screenplay
Young at Heart – Nathan Koss – WINNER
Power Outage – Collin Bostock
Shoelaces – Eddie D. Murphy

Best Actor
Charles McCregor – Shoelaces – WINNER
Philip Buffone – Honestly, Work
Kevin Emmanuel Thompson – The Kat in the Hat

Best Actress
Victoria Haley Hutton – Jabberwock – WINNER
Lisa Pickop Boyle – Young at Heart
Nikki Markey – Honestly, Work

Best Production Design
The Kat in the Hat – Kevin Emmanuel Thompson – WINNER
Honestly, Work – Summer Harris
The Last Waltz – Mya Maher

Best Editing
Honestly, Work – Angel Barber & Ted Kutina – WINNER
Jabberwock – Elle Rodriguez
Karma King – Nathan Koss

Best Cinematography
My Friend Johnathon – Christopher Stewart – WINNER
Battery Life – Matthew Green
Honestly, Work – Ted Kutina

Best Sound
Exit Only – Maxwell Barba – WINNER
Locked Out and Locked Away – Melvyn Jones-Merritt
Honestly, Work – Thomas Maran