Palm Beach Central High Alum Nominated for College Television Award

Palm Beach Central High School alumna Billie Brightman has been nominated for the Television Academy Foundation’s 44th College Television Awards. The Foundation’s annual awards show recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges across the country. Winners in the competition will be announced by television stars at the red-carpet awards ceremony on April 5, 2025, at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California. Designed to emulate the Emmy Awards, student entries are judged by Television Academy members. Criteria for the College Television Awards reflect industry standards of excellence, imagination and innovation.

Brightman, along with 10 classmates at the University of Miami, is nominated in the Sports category for SportsDesk, UMTV’s 30-minute, live weekly sports show covering Miami Hurricanes athletics. Brightman worked as a producer on the nominated episode that aired on March 29. The program featured a pitching lesson from Canes pitcher Rafe Schlesinger; an interview with the former women's basketball head coach Katie Meier following her retirement; and a story on the Karen Peterson Dancers, an organization created over 30 years ago as a space for inclusive dance and dancers with disabilities. The project was selected for nomination by Television Academy members from over 200 entries nationwide.

“It is amazing to be recognized by the Television Academy as it is such a prestigious group,” said Brightman. “This is my first ever big recognition for my work, and so it means the world {to me}. As journalists, we mainly tell stories to inform, enlighten, and entertain our audiences, not fully expecting an award other than knowing we helped somebody. An award like this would mean we have done the first and main step successfully.”

From Wellington, FL, Brightman attended Palm Beach Central High School. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of Miami in 2024 with a B.S. in Communications for broadcast journalism and a second major in political science.