Oklahoma State University Alumna Wins Emmy For Work on 20/20

Maddy Cunningham- OSU alumna

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Oklahoma State University alumna Maddy Cunningham was on the list of winners for its News and Documentary Awards from the National Television Academy.

Cunningham graduated with degrees in multimedia journalism and theater in 2016.

She was a field producer for the 20/20 episode “The Babies of 9/11: Twenty Years Later.”

On Sept. 29, Cunningham and her colleagues were awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Long Form.

“I was so shocked and overwhelmed and excited that I practically floated through the four-hour ceremony,” said Cunningham, who accepted the award in person along with several others from her team. “It still doesn’t feel totally real. Maybe once the trophy with my name engraved arrives in the mail, I’ll be able to fully digest everything.”

This Emmy-winning episode aired on Sept. 10, 2021, on ABC.

It was the latest in a series of reunions coordinated by 20/20 and host Diane Sawyer over the last 20 years where children born immediately after losing fathers on Sept. 11, 2001, were interviewed along with their mothers.

“With any coverage of 9/11, it can be really difficult to see past the seemingly endless amount of grief and horror. But when we met with these families, all you could see was how resilient they were,” Cunningham said. “Getting to know them and helping tell their stories has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my career so far.”

Cunningham worked in journalism at OSU while studying at the School of Media and Strategic Communications and producing video content for the OSU Office of Brans management.

“Maddy’s always been driven to tell compelling stories, and she honed her craft right here at OSU,” said director of Inside OSU Andy Wallace, who worked with Cunningham while she was a student. “This prestigious award speaks to the high caliber work that she produces.”

Cunningham gave credit to OSU faculty and staff for giving her the resources to succeed as a student and young professional.

“I lost count of the amount of times a professor stayed late to review a new resume layout, critique my latest reel, give me notes on an audition piece or work through an editing software bug,” said Cunningham, who was a McKnight Scholar and a 2019 College of Arts and Sciences Rising Star. “The staff at OSU is truly like no other. They constantly pushed me to be the best I could be.”

To learn more about Cunningham and her work, click here