Class of 2000 graduate Kendall Rodriguez won his first Emmy® award for his work on the Newsday documentary “On The Shoulders of Giants.” The documentary, which won in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion category, was selected by the New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Rodriguez, a videographer for the project, received his Emmy® at the 65th Annual New York Emmy® Awards held in Manhattan on October 8, 2022.
“It was and still is a great feeling to be recognized for my contribution to this work,” Rodriguez said about his win. "It let’s the world know that the voices of the people do matter. Also it continues to show the importance of a free and independent press in the United States. I’d also like to credit the faculty of the Media and Communications department at Old Westbury for providing me the foundation necessary to succeed. My advice to my fellow OW Panthers is to remain open minded, pursue your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem, and surround yourself with a supportive team."
In the documentary, Newsday chronicles the death of George Floyd and the more than eight minutes it took for him to die at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Floyd’s death set off a firestorm of protest and a cry for social justice on Long Island and across the nation. Two veteran civil rights activists and two contemporary advocates offer their views on the current protests in the documentary.
After earning his bachelor degree in Media and Communications, Rodriguez went on to receive his M.S. in Journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. In addition to his regular freelance work for Newsday where he creates daily news packages, he also does work for NomMedia, New York Daily News, the Town of Babylon and others. Rodriguez has also worked for NY1 News and the New York Post.
Rodriguez joins class of 2017 Media and Communications graduate Moses Nuñez Jr. as an Emmy® winner this year. Nuñez won in the Outstanding Digital Innovation category for his work as Associate Producer for Major League Baseball Home Run Derby’s “MLB XR” at the 43rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards in May 2022.