Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network (TBAE) recently earned national recognition for its impactful, community-centered programming.
The nonprofit arts and education station claimed won two prestigious Telly Awards, in a national competition honoring excellence in television and video that draws industry leaders like Pixar, ESPN, and NASA.
“We were just super excited to bring home two more awards,” says TBAE’s Director of Business and Development Jessica Sturges. “Both of the episodes we submitted were worthy of receiving an award.”
The program “Connecting with Kim” earned a Bronze Telly in the General - Advocacy & Causes category for an episode featuring host Kim Droege and Safe and Sound Hillsborough Executive Freddy Barton in a powerful and important conversation exploring topics of violence prevention, healing, and community resilience.
TBAE won a Bronze Telly in the General – Documentary: Individual category for "Filmmaker Spotlight,” a conversation between Twhich highlighted regional filmmaker James Berry and his short documentary “Cletus," which tells the story of a young skateboarder-artist in rural Florida. The documentary was also featured at the 2024 Gasparilla International Film Festival.
“The way he told Cletus' story was one that we knew so many in our community could relate to…we had to submit it,” Sturges adds.
TBAE produces approximately a dozen original programs annually on topics such as the arts and community advocacy.
“Our goal is to educate the community,” says Sturges. “If even one person learns something or is inspired to make a better choice because of a program we produced, then we’re here for them. We take our mission to heart. Everything that we do is for the purpose of educating, even if it's just one person. If one person can learn from our programming, then we are ecstatic to produce it.”
TBAE regularly partners with nonprofits like the Florida Aquarium and Tampa Museum of Art to help them share their stories despite limited resources.
“They have a need to get their content out,” Sturges says, “and so we partner with them, and we say, ‘Okay, what program do you have, and what do you want to get out that will help your organization?’”
The network has morphed into many things during its 40 years on the air. Since Executive Director Scott Maiden took the helm in 2016, TBAE has shifted focus back to its core mission – education through storytelling.
“Scott wanted to go back to the roots and the heart of what the education channel meant, and the Tampa Bay Arts and Education Network is supposed to mean. He wanted to produce programming that reached everybody,” says Sturges. “We’re proud to offer a range of programming—some may love science shows, others may connect more with personal interviews. If just one viewer gains something, it’s worth it.”
Sturges' responsibilities include serving as the network's point person for program guests.
“We all wear a lot of hats at the station because we’re so small, and I’m the first point of contact when we talk to our guests,” she says. “I’m the people-person of the station. I know the guest's worth and know that what they're doing for the community is important. That's my job and that's my role. And that gives me satisfaction – understanding and letting the people know that what they're doing and what they say is important, not only to us as TBAE staff, but also to the community as a whole.”
She credits TBAE’s longevity and impact to the team’s dedication.
“I’m the heart and Glenda Maiden, our Director of Programming and Production, and Scott are the soul of the network,” Sturges says. “Between the three of us, we really want the community to know that Tampa Bay Arts and Education Network is here, and we're not going anywhere, and we're going to be here for another 40 years. And that if you're a nonprofit and you have content, reach out to us.
The three of us have really worked hard to make a name for TBAE, and we appreciate the community because without them, we wouldn't have the content to create. Without their support to help us create these original programs, we wouldn't be able to do what we do… So I just want to say a big thank you from all three of us and the rest of our team.”
TBAE’s recent honors speak to the quality of their work and their unwavering commitment to their mission to educate, uplift, and serve the Tampa Bay community through powerful, accessible media.
Learn more at TBAE or stream at WatchTBAE
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