The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to excellence in television. This organization also gives out the regional Emmy awards, the Suncoast Chapter includes the Student Production Awards (SPA). One UCF History student received this honor in the non-fiction long-form category. Congratulations to Sebastian Garcia for his work on the newest Honors documentary, Jewel of Parramore: The Wells’Built Museum, advised by Lisa Mills, Professor and Assistant Director of Film and Mass Media, and Robert Cassanello, Associate Professor of History. Sebastian was responsible for the research, writing and transcriptions for the film.
Honors students conducted historical and cultural research on the Wells’Built Hotel and Casino, listed in the famous Green Book during the Jim Crow era of segregation. Students wanted the video to situate the hotel and casino within the context of Parramore, downtown Orlando’s historically Black community. In addition to producing the video, students also received a grant to purchase a new video monitor for the museum. The documentary was also shown at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2023.
“I’m so proud to have worked on the Wells’Built documentary alongside the Documentary Production class of Spring 2022, and getting recognition for our work has made the experience that much sweeter. As one of the main editors for the project I can say that this film is the product of hard work and love, giving a clear and compelling history of the Parramore community, and I can’t wait to see where we all go next,” says Hope Miller, editor of the film.