DeLand-based filmmakers earn regional Emmys for video promoting Daytona Beach library

The Library AND YOU: Daytona Beach Regional Library PSA from And You Films on Vimeo.

DELAND — A local film company's work highlighting offerings at the Daytona Beach Regional Library did more than show that libraries aren't "stodgy old book prisons" — it won two regional Emmy awards.

And You Films, owned by two Stetson University alums, this month won Suncoast Emmys for educational content and for writing.

The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences includes all of Florida and Puerto Rico and multiple TV markets in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia.

In addition to two awards, "The Library AND YOU: Daytona Beach Regional Library PSA" received nominations in other categories. Two of the company's other pieces also received recognition.

"We were just over the moon to get the nominations," said Aléa Figueroa, 36, the company's production coordinator.

What's in a library?

Friends of the Daytona Beach Regional Library approached And You Films a little more than two years ago.

The members of the local nonprofit wanted a way to remind and excite residents about the City Island library's programs.

Kathleen Citro, the nonprofit's vice president, said by phone Wednesday that members also wanted to encourage people to join the group.

When Hurricane Irma struck, the then 40-year-old library took on 8 inches of water in parts resulting in damages estimated at $1.5 million.

The facility closed for almost eight months and underwent extensive renovations.

Mark Lane: A once-flooded Daytona City Island library opens its doors again

Friends of the Daytona Beach Regional Library wanted a video that was informative but entertaining.

"We thought it'd be fun to kind of play with people's expectations of libraries versus the reality of libraries," Brendan Rogers, 38, the film company's founder, said. Rogers co-owns And You Films with Will Phillips, also 38.

Rogers, Phillips and Figueroa pitched the idea of a public service announcement that would feature a present-day person talking with an "old-timey narrator guy."

Figueroa, who's worked as an actor most of her career, auditioned to play the present-day character, and the nonprofit's members agreed she should have the role.

Citro played the role of the librarian, which wasn't a stretch for the retiree who had a career working in libraries.

The video starts in black and white with "old-timey narrator guy" describing the library as a "bastion of propriety and reserved behavior for the cultivation of learning and knowledge" and a "serious place of solitude and silence, thought and introspection, books and in particular, the reading of them."

He reminds visitors that "volume, much like merriment, is kept to a strict minimum" at the library.

Cue the sound of a record scratching.

Figueroa, in color, enters the picture and tells the narrator he's making libraries "sound like a punishment."

"Libraries aren't some sort of stodgy old book prisons," she says. "They're thriving hubs of activity, culture, entertainment and social gathering."

Figueroa describes several of the library's programs while footage shows people of all ages having fun at the facility.

"Old-timey narrator guy" and the other two people who were in black and white subsequently join the festivities; they're now in color.

"It was a great example of something where the material could have been dry, but the client was excited to have an opportunity to sort of make it more fun, and that always really excites us," said Phillips, the primary writer of the script.

"It was a fun corporate job, and I think that’s why the win is really special for us," Rogers said.

The only downside was the timing of when the video was finished, which occurred shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began.

"It felt terrible doing a video for activities you can do at the library right before you couldn't do anything anywhere," Rogers said.

Citro said the Friends of the Daytona Beach Regional Library "were just getting our sea legs back when the virus hit."

With programs starting to return, Citro is hoping to put the video to good use in the new year.

"We want people to know what we do, and you want everybody to understand what a value the library is to the community," Citro said.

Finding the silver lining

When the pandemic began, the trio at And You Films saw the jobs they'd lined up for 2020 postponed or canceled.

Comedy and creativity were still coursing through their veins, so they designed content that could safely be made and still bring smiles.

One such example is "Guard Dog," which earned Rogers a regional Emmy nomination for directing.

The short film, which was made during the summer of 2020, also earned the company the Gold Telly Award in the category of online general children's content.

The film is Figueroa's favorite piece because she got to work with Eddie, her late Scottish terrier rescue.

"Guard Dog" screened earlier this month at the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival.

"The audience was just in love with it and he (Eddie) got to wear his tux on the red carpet," Figueroa said.

The trio also started a series on YouTube dubbed "Scene Riff," where they act out a scene from a popular movie multiple times, but each take is different.

Their parody of a scene from "Ghostbusters" is their channel's second most viewed video of all time with about 4.8 million views.

Their most popular piece, with 6.1 million views, is an episode from their parody series "Diary of a Wimpy Alien," which they started in 2017 after having the idea to combine parts from two different movies that were entering theaters around the same time.

"It also was a great excuse to buy an alien mask for the company, which I always wanted," Rogers said. "It was just supposed to be a one-and-done silly video, mashing up the "Alien" franchise and "Wimpy Kid" franchise, and it's kind of exploded into our most popular web series on the channel."

Phillips said they're hoping to bring the series to a close next year and begin working on more long-form projects when they're not busy with gigs for other businesses.

Figueroa echoed that sentiment.

"We live in such a chaotic, dark world," Figueroa said. "Gosh, it's so special to be a part of something that can bring joy and laughter into the world, and that's the kind of life I want to lead."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Emmys: DeLand film company earns regional award for Daytona library PSA