Franklin High School Joins Best Student Producers in Nation

Published October 4, 2017

Broadcasting students at Franklin High School are officially a national award-winning team.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) hosted the Second Annual National Student Production Awards on October 3. The students at FHS watched the broadcast live from their classroom.

FHS students were nominated for several awards, and they walked away with two. FHS graduate Jacob Ferguson won in the Arts and Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category. The class’s film, Supertramp, won in the Long Form – Fiction category.

“We are so honored to win two national awards,” said FHS TV and film production teacher Keri Thompson. “I’m thrilled to see them being awarded this high honor which is equivalent to winning a Super Bowl for us.”

Ferguson’s promotional video for Annie, which he edited days before the performance, is what won him the award. Ferguson also directed Supertramp, but the film was a culmination of the team’s efforts.

The students involved in creating Supertramp were Ferguson, Bryson Sams, Porter Edwards, Dante Cameron, Ryan Coke, Brandon Kelly, Jack Durham and Cole Winton.

“There were set backs and criticism along the way, but Jacob persevered,” Thompson said. “He surrounded himself with a crew that saw his vision and helped bring it to life. I’m so proud of them for never giving up.”

Three other schools received national Student Production Award nominations, including Brentwood High School, Ravenwood High School and Summit High School.