Skip to main content
Apply Visit Give
fr

News

Alumni shine at 2025 Primetime Emmys

Cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné and executive producers Barry Julien and Antoni Porowski take home top honours in television’s biggest night
September 16, 2025
|
By Marta Samuel, GrDip 10

Source: University Advancement
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert team celebrates its 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series. Barry Julien, BA 94 (pictured middle row, second from right), celebrates with the team behind The Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert on their 2025 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series.

Three Concordia alumni made their mark at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 14. Their wins highlight excellence in cinematography and production, as well as the diverse paths Concordians continue to carve across the entertainment industry in Hollywood and beyond.

A woman with dark pulled back hair wears a black blazer with white pocket square and is holding an Emmy award.

Jessica Lee Gagné

A graduate of the university’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Jessica Lee Gagné, BFA 12, made history as the first woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour). She was recognized for her visual work on Apple TV+’s Severance — a psychological thriller celebrated for its stark, cinematic style — excutively produced and predominantly directed by Ben Stiller. Gagné also made her directorial debut on Season 2 of the series.

Raised in Quebec City, Gagné’s passion for the lens began in photography before she transitioned to moving images. Her talent has since carried her across both film and television projects, with early acclaim for Escape at Dannemora, also directed by Stiller. The Emmy win cements her reputation as one of the industry’s leading cinematographers.

A man with short dark blonde hair is wearing a navy-blue polo shirt with white trim on the collar.

Barry Julien

Barry Julien, BA 94, earned an Emmy as co-executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which won for Outstanding Talk Series.

A graduate of Concordia’s Communication Studies program, Julien honed his comedic timing in Montreal’s stand-up clubs. His career trajectory led him through Canadian mainstays like This Hour Has 22 Minutes before he joined The Colbert Report, where he picked up multiple Emmy wins as a writer. Today, as an executive producer at The Late Show, Julien helps guide one of America’s most influential nightly programs — the latest Emmy marks an important win following the show’s surprise cancellation by CBS.

Antoni Porowski is wearing a black blazer over a patterned shirt and tie and is holding an Emmy Award.

Antoni Porowski

Reality television star and bestselling author Antoni Porowski, BA 08, added to his growing list of accolades as part of the team behind the Netflix hit makeover series Queer Eye. He earned a 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program in his role as one of the show’s executive producers.

Since its 2018 reboot, Queer Eye has become a cultural touchstone, with Porowski serving as the food and wine expert and helping the series win multiple Emmys over the years.


Related topics


film accolades communication alumni

You might also like:

 
Back to top

© Concordia University