Tommy Oliver receives a CMU Alumni Award in 2018.
Alumnus Tommy Oliver Takes Home Emmy Win
Carnegie Mellon University Alumnus Tommy Oliver won a 2024 Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Oliver, a graduate of the Dietrich College (2006) in economics and digital media, with a minor in business administration, premiered the film at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, where it garnered the 2023 Grand Jury Prize award for U.S. Documentary Competition.
The film looks at the life of poet Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary periods in which she wrote, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. The film was produced by Oliver and his company, Confluential Films, in association with JustFilms, Ford Foundation in association with Bertha Doc Society.
“We are absolutely thrilled for Tommy,” said Dan Green, director of the Master of Entertainment Industry Management Program (MEIM), where Oliver serves as a lecturer. “Many of our MEIM students saw this film at Sundance, which was an exciting experience for all of us.”
In addition to serving as a lecturer for the MEIM Program, a collaboration of the Heinz College and the College of Fine Arts, Oliver also is on the CFA Dean’s Council. There, he is part of a group of alumni and influencers who work with CFA Dean Mary Ellen Poole to guide efforts for all students within CFA.
“Going to Mars” is available on HBO.