Our first red carpet at the 2025 Chicago Emmy Awards. Still kinda wild to say that out loud.
NBC’s Corney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues interviewed us about Cottage Grove — such a dope moment for our team.
TJ Harris (Producer), Keiph Oliver (Producer), and George Ellzey Jr. (Writer/Director) held it down while Jordan Rivers (Producer) was running late (you were missed!).
Shoutout to Cara Winter and Kat Blade, our amazing producers who couldn’t join us on the carpet due to interview limits — your presence was definitely felt.
If you didn’t catch it live, here’s the video of our red carpet interview at the Chicago Emmy Awards.
Emmy® nominated 🤯 SURREAL.
Cottage Grove has been nominated for a 2025 Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy® Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts & Entertainment (Long Form).
Grateful to be listed among some serious talent, and even more grateful for our @cottagegroveproductions team and supporters.
Join us for an Instagram live celebration. Tomorrow, Sept 18 @ 7pm CST with @cottagegroveproductions & @instinctivisionfilms
From Bronzeville (southside) to the Emmys 🥂
Have you heard the news?
After 3 years, a 2025 Emmy nomination, and 2× Gold Telly Awards…
our short film Cottage Grove is now free to watch online.
Not because we waited.
Because we built toward it.
What started as a thesis film is now streaming on a platform dedicated to amplifying Black stories globally.
Watch now on @StreamMansa .
If you haven’t seen it yet—this is your moment.
Drop a 🎬 if you’re watching. Share this with someone who loves independent film.
#IndependentFilm #BlackCinema #FilmDistribution #IndieFilmmaker #WatchNow
🎬 What started on a Chicago set in 2022… is about to go bigger than we ever imagined.
Our short film Cottage Grove has grown, and 2026 is just the beginning.
👀 Can you guess what’s next?
#CottageGrove #ChicagoFilmmakers #IndieFilm #FilmProduction #BehindTheScenes
No notes 2025. Each passing year has been uncharted territories for me. I just keep asking God to continue holding my hand and walking this down with me.
More than anything I’m grateful for my health and the amazing people in my life, some of whom are pictured here (many more who aren’t).
From becoming Emmy-nominated to completing grad school at DePaul, receiving my MBA in November, I’m trying my best to enjoy the feats, and not be so plagued by the disease of “ok, what’s next?”
We got a lot to do in 2026 ❤️🙏🏾
🚨NEW TRAILER ALERT🚨
Check out our full trailer for all 6 episodes! Link in bio to stream FOR FREE on Cinemata!
DM if you or your organization would like to host a public screening with us!
Edited by @eevaivilo
#documentary #animation
We didn’t take home the trophy — but we left with something better: peace. 🎬✨
Our latest blog, On the Grove: Onward, reflects on our Emmy journey, creative fear, and the quiet joy of moving forward. Sometimes the real win isn’t the award — it’s who you become on the way there.
Read now — link in bio.
#EmmyNominee #FilmmakerJourney #IndieFilm #ChicagoFilm #CreativeGrowth #BlackFilmmaker #SouthSideStories #onthegrove
DAY 4 — Chicago Emmy Awards Countdown 🎬
Producer Keiph Oliver answers one of the big questions before the big night:
“Who’s most likely to cry if we win — and why?” 🥹
We’re just four days away from the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards, where Cottage Grove Productions celebrates the magic of independent filmmaking, storytelling, and collaboration in Chicago film.
Now it’s your turn — who do YOU think will cry first if we take home an Emmy? 👇
❤️ George Ellzey Jr (Writer/Director)
💜 Cara Winter (Producer)
💚 Keiph Oliver (Producer)
🖤 Kat Blade (Producer)
💙 TJ Harris (Producer)
💛 Jordan Rivers (Producer)
📺 Watch the Chicago Emmy Awards live this Saturday!
🎤 Red Carpet Interviews — 4:10 PM CST
🏆 Ceremony — 6:00 PM CST
🎥 Streaming on YouTube: @emmychicago
#ChicagoEmmys #MidwestEmmys #CottageGroveProductions #IndependentFilm #ChicagoFilm #Filmmakers #BehindTheScenes #Storytelling #FilmCommunity #WomenInFilm #CreativeTeam #EmmyAwards #filmproduction
✨new ep drops todayy✨
BUT FIRST… can we take a moment to appreciate the SMOLDER IN THAT HEADSHOT?!?!
Meet @justkeiph - producer, MBA brain, Chicago film builder. If there’s a shot list, a vibe check, and a crew call, odds are Keiph had something to do with it.
We get into why artists deserve to live good lives (not just “starving artist” lives), the business side of film, YouTube as the new studio, and what equity + ownership really mean for creators.
Come for the sharp insight, stay for the proof that Chicago is brewing its own wave.
Link in bio. New eps every Tuesday. #IlseWillSay #ChicagoFilm #ProducersLife #FilmCommunity #PodcastEnergy
🎬 “Big swings. Bold choices. Collaboration at every level.”
In this BTS moment from Truck It, producer Keiph Oliver reflects on what it takes to scale a creative project — and how working with the right collaborators unlocks vision, growth, and possibility.
🎥 Truck It is a web series/TV pilot created by Maya Hennessy — a hilarious, heartfelt coming-of-age comedy about friendship, food trucks, identity, and chasing your dream (even if your mom really wanted you to go to law school).
Keiph talks about:
➤ Working with the DP to make ambitious visual choices
➤ Learning the scope, scale, and pacing of bigger stories
➤ And why the best work always comes from radical collaboration
💡Whether you’re building a show, a business, or a community — the lesson is the same:
You have to try. You have to collaborate. And you have to be willing to swing big.
👏🏾 Huge love to the Truck It crew — a powerhouse team led by queer, femme, and BIPOC filmmakers.
This is what inclusive filmmaking looks like.
🛻 Truck It is what happens when talent meets intention — and a team says yes to the story, the vision, and each other.
🖤 Drop a 🎬 if you’ve ever taken a big creative swing.
Tag a collaborator who always shows up with heart and hustle.
#TruckItSeries #IndieTVPilot #CreativeCollaboration #BTSReel
#CottageGroveProductions #POCFilmmakers #QueerCinema #FemmeFilmmakers
#BehindTheScenes #ProducerPerspective #FilmProducerLife
#CreativeProcess #WebSeriesSpotlight #ChicagoFilmScene
#InclusiveFilmmaking #FilmmakerJourney #RepresentationMatters
