Southern Miss ViDMO Earns Six Silver Telly Awards for Multimedia Productions
Mon, 07/13/2026 - 09:13am | By: Gabriela Shinskie
The University of Southern Mississippi's ViDMO multimedia production outreach earned six awards at the 47th Annual Telly Awards, an international competition recognizing excellence in video
and television across all screens. ViDMO competed alongside 14,000 entries from 55
countries.
The awards recognized ViDMO’s two cinematic productions created through Southern Miss
partnerships that highlighted innovation and transformation in Mississippi.
The first video, “Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation,” was produced in collaboration with the Office of Innovation Management and showcased the groundbreaking biomedical research of Southern Miss polymer scientist
Dr. Tristan Clemons and the potential of polymer science to improve burn recovery.
The second video, "Gulf Blue Oyster Stout,” was produced through the Gulf Blue Initiative. The video told the story of Chandeleur Island Brewing’s award-winning oyster stout
while highlighting Gulf Blue's mission to accelerate Mississippi's Blue Economy by
connecting entrepreneurs, researchers and industry to create new products and businesses
from Gulf resources.
“This recognition reflects the intentional work our team puts into every story we
tell and reinforces what we’ve believed from the beginning: exceptional storytelling
has the power to make research more accessible, partnerships more visible and innovation
more impactful. We’re proud of what this recognition says about the work we’ve accomplished
together, but we’re even more excited about what it means for the future as we continue
telling stories that demonstrate the global impact of innovation happening right here
along our Gulf Coast and beyond,” said Brandt Sleeper, ViDMO director.
ViDMO received the following honors:
- Silver Telly Award, Promotional Video – B2C: Business-to-Consumer, for "Gulf Blue Oyster Stout"
- Silver Telly Award, Film & Shorts – Education & Discovery, for "Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation"
- Silver People's Telly Award, People's Telly – Film & Shorts, for "Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation"
- Silver People's Telly Winner in People's Telly – Branded Content, for “Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation”
- Silver Telly Award, Branded Content – Education & Training, for "Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation"
- Silver Telly Award, Film & Shorts – Social Impact, for "Burn Recovery Through Polymer Science Innovation"
The Telly Awards recognized excellence in video and television across all screens
and were judged by leaders from television networks, streaming platforms, production
companies and digital media organizations. This year's winners included Paramount
TV, Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX Entertainment, the Museum of Modern Art, Mayo Clinic,
Sony Music, TED, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Harvard Business School and Dude Perfect.
"Video has never been more contested, more creative or more consequential than it
is right now," said Amanda Needham, managing director of The Telly Awards. “The Telly
Awards has had a front-row seat to this industry for 47 years, and today’s entertainment
is happening in multiple formats, across every screen, and at every budget level.”
The competition introduced new categories recognizing excellence in generative AI,
animation and creator-driven content. The Telly Awards Judging Council consisted of
a panel of more than 250 industry experts representing companies such as Google, HBO,
Netflix and the WNBA.
Housed in the School of Leadership on the Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach, Miss., ViDMO is The University of Southern Mississippi’s visual storytelling
and digital media outreach. In addition to producing cinematic content that connects
research, innovation, entrepreneurship and community impact, the program provides
hands-on media training and micro-certification opportunities for college and high
school students, preparing the next generation of creative professionals. Through
strategic partnerships with researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and public
organizations, ViDMO creates award-winning content that advances innovation while
providing experiential learning opportunities for aspiring media professionals.
View the complete list of Telly Awards winners and their impact in storytelling.