BLOGCast: Highlights from the 5th Annual Indie Series Awards

As sad as I was that I didn’t get to do any interviews with people during the Indie Series Awards red carpet, that did not stop me from enjoying the ceremony. What an amazing time that was had by many, myself included. This marked my first ISA venture, and I was enamored by seeing all the creative talent that independent online shows had to offer.

There is so much content from around the world that I never even heard of until the ISA ceremony. Watching the nominated clips during the show, the production and acting qualities easily could trump some television shows currently. Speaking of the ceremony, I have to give Roger Newcomb, Susan Bernhardt, and Kevin Mulcahy, Jr. for all of their hard work to put this together. There is so much love and effort to put this together, and it paid off in a huge fashion. You can tell they CARE about the independent online shows that are showcased, and it was about THEM and THEIR creation and talent. I wish the Daytime Emmys would get back to honoring DAYTIME, and not everything else that is NOT that. Carolyn Hennesy, who was also an ISA nominee, hosted the show, and she was spectacular. Classy, glamorous, and hilarious to boot. Her monologue, which she wrote herself, combined humor and truth, and she did it damn well.

There’s no jealousy, no ego, none of that sense of entitlement at this ceremony. ANACOSTIA came out to support this year’s nominees, and the show was not even nominated. That spoke volumes to me. A show coming to show love and support for, not just the show itself, but everyone who was nominated and attended, was amazing to me. How often do you hear that nowadays? Of course, my two favorite moments included: Hennesy running on stage to steal the award, and Sean Kanan and Eric Martsolf getting to the stage late. Honorable mention goes to Michael Caruso from “DeVanity” carrying Christine Lakin to the podium.

The actors, crew, and production teams definitely make sure that they acknowledge their fans. Without them, they still would be here working hard to produce shows for them so they watch as much as they want. If you don’t believe that, check their Twitter accounts. They never go without showing love for their fans as much as possible.

In its fifth year, I am so happy for how the ISAs caught on. There is now something out there where independent online shows finally get the recognition they richly deserve. You hear about these shows, and how much time, energy, and money go into them. They work this hard, and probably thought, “Is it all worth it?” Guess what…it is! Hard work pays off, as the saying goes. I was proud and humbled to be surrounded by creative geniuses who started off with an idea and made it into something bigger, badder, and incredible.

In the end, I applaud everything that Roger, Susan, and Kevin were able to put together for another great year. I never saw so many people love a ceremony in many a year, and this was it. As Lilly Melgar and Martha Madison said, I would love Roger/Kevin/Susan to take on Daytime Emmy Awards. They GET it, and know exactly how to make the show that much more enjoyable and about daytime television entertainment. The Indie Series Awards proved that. I was glad I was able to attend, and congratulations to everyone for all their hard work and achievements. To old friends, and now some new ones I met from the ISAs, you are truly the best!

Here are the full list of winners from this year’s show: