Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) is proud to announce that its original television program Open for Business, produced by AACPS-TV, has won a prestigious Bronze Telly Award in the competitive Television Series-Interview & Talk Show category of the 46th annual Telly Awards.
This recognition reflects AACPS’ commitment to the values at the heart of its Strategic Plan: Belong. Grow. Succeed. Open for Business exemplifies these themes by celebrating the partnerships, passions, and people that make our school system thrive. Some standout episodes from the series featured the YoJo Show, partnerships with the Chesapeake Baysox and the Maryland Black Bears, and AACPS’ impactful mentorship program.
“This honor is a testament to the powerful storytelling and production talents of our AACPS-TV and Communications teams,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell. “We are deeply grateful to our school and community partners who share their inspiring stories and allow us to shine a light on the amazing things happening across Anne Arundel County.
Hosted by Louis Nesbitt, Open for Business brings stories of student entrepreneurship, community engagement, and career exploration to life. The program is produced by Erik Cloyd and directed by Taylor Thomas, each of whom bring exceptional creativity, dedication, and excellence to the award-winning series.
Nesbitt also applied the Strategic Plan values when he made it a personal and professional mission to earn a Telly in the show’s second year of production.
“At the start of this school year I told Erik and Taylor that one of my goals was to win an award and we achieved that together,” Nesbitt said. “I like for the work I do to speak for itself and in this moment, I felt heard and I'm appreciative of that."
The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television production across all screens and received more than 13,000 entries worldwide this year. AACPS joins a distinguished group of winners that includes Pixar Animation Studios, NASA, MTV Entertainment Studios, Hearst Media, and the LA Clippers.
“Our industry is experimenting with new technologies like never before, shaping truly compelling stories to draw attention to some of the world’s most pressing issues,” shared Telly Awards Managing Director Amanda Needham. “The Telly Awards is uniquely positioned to meet the industry where it’s actually making work, be that on television or TikTok.”
The full list of winners is available at www.tellyawards.com/winners.
About AACPS-TV
With a mission to inform, engage, and inspire, AACPS-TV produces programming that connects families, highlights student voice, and promotes academic and career readiness throughout the school system and beyond. AACPS-TV is also home to other Telly Award-winning series such as Teen Talk and Then & Now: Alumni Success Stories.