The team at Freethink is proud to receive 11 Telly Awards for excellence and creativity in storytelling. Founded in 1979, The Telly Awards is one of the most distinguished honors for video and television production.
We’re thrilled to have walked away with 1 gold and 10 silver awards across numerous categories.
Each member of our team is grateful to be able to bring you these inspiring stories of people who are changing our world for the better
Here are our 2020 Telly Award winners.
This Fearless Principal Used UFC & Skateboards to Save a Failing School
Gold in Education | Silver in Online Directing
Hamish Brewer, the unconventional principal of Fred Lynn Middle School, went viral and won praise for his work turning the school around. Brewer has helped inspire teachers and students at lower-income schools to smash people’s expectations.
Now, this relentless principal is trying to lead students and teachers to regain accreditation for the school after years of being unaccredited. He’s helped by amazing students, teachers, and UFC Lightweight Fighter Paul Felder, who makes a special appearance to fire up the kids and share life lessons he has learned in his journey. But will they be able to raise test scores enough?
This Fearless Principal Used UFC & Skateboards to Save a Failing School
How to Teach Kids to Read in as Little as 50 Days
Silver in Social Responsibility | Silver in Directing | Bronze in People’s Telly Award
One in 10 people in the world today can’t read. Pratham’s innovative approach is helping kids in developing countries learn to read in as little as 50 days. Pratham’s methodology centers around teaching children based on their level rather than their age or grade.
It’s now being used in Africa and 14 other countries around the world. Could it end up teaching hundreds of millions of kids to read? And with millions more citizens able to read, could it help developing countries prosper?
How To Teach Kids to Read in as Little as 50 Days
Bringing Community Healthcare to the People
Silver in Branded Social Responsibility
There is an urgent challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa: people are dying from treatable illnesses like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The traditional model is that families find their way to a doctor or a hospital for their healthcare needs. But millions of families live in hard-to-reach communities that may be hours—or days—from the nearest clinic. Now, people are turning to their neighbors for community health care.
Bringing Community Healthcare to the People
Catalysts Series
Silver in Corporate Social Responsibility
How can we make progress on a problem as huge and seemingly intractable as poverty? How can we not? There is no silver bullet to eradicating poverty, but all across the country, a diverse array of social entrepreneurs are doing their part to take on this monumental challenge, building amazing organizations that are having a real impact in their communities.
Catalysts, a Freethink original series presented by Stand Together, takes viewers to the frontlines of the fight against poverty to understand the challenges we face and meet the people behind some of the most innovative solutions to this complicated issue.
Introducing Catalysts
OGU: Original Gangsters United Ending Gang Violence
Silver in Charitable, Overall | Silver in Charitable, Directing
What do you get when former Bloods and Crips gang leaders come together? Original Gangsters United, a pathway to ending gang opposition, promoting peace, and saving younger generations from senseless violence.
“We need to build relationships in our community that are real…that are meaningful. If we can do that…we can change the country,” says Antong Lucky, OGU leader.
Can Former Bloods and Crips Unite to Break the Cycle of Violence?
The Emerging Cyborg
Silver in Science & Technology | Silver in Directing
The world of prosthetics is evolving quickly. It’s no question that researchers, doctors, and engineers want to design more effective robotic limbs that can help the paralyzed and amputees live not only more comfortable, but more normal lives.
But what if we went further? What if instead of relying on our body to control the technology, we decided to let the technology think for itself? That’s exactly what Dr. Tommaso Lenzi and his researchers at University of Utah’s Bionic Engineering Lab decided to bring to life. And their AI-powered bionic leg will change the future of advanced prosthetics.
“I believe that we are the generation that will see physical disability disappear,” Dr. Tommaso Lenzi said.
The Emerging Cyborg
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