Southern University students named Sports Emmy finalists for Human Jukebox documentary

A team of Southern University students will head to New York City for the 45th Annual Sports Emmy Awards on Tuesday, May 20, where their student-produced documentary, The Hidden Sport, is a finalist for a national honor recognizing excellence in sports media.

Co-creators Sydney Cuillier, Ashley Lovelace, Verbon Muhammad, Loren Sullivan and Eric White were named finalists for their documentary highlighting the legacy of the Southern University Human Jukebox marching band and its cultural impact on sports and athletics at historically Black colleges and universities.

The film was submitted as part of a national $40,000 HBCU sports broadcasting grant competition, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and the Foundation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

After its completion, previews of The Hidden Sport were screened at several events across the Baton Rouge area—momentum that eventually led to the team’s Emmy nomination.

Sullivan, a photographer and videographer for the Human Jukebox, said the documentary is dedicated to former Southern University football coach Sean Wallace and marching band member Caleb Wilson, both of whom passed away during filming.

“We wanted to make sure that we dedicated [the film] to them because they touched so many lives within the community, which is exactly what we’re going to do with this film,” Sullivan told Louisiana First News. “We want to make sure this is something for the community, something for the university, something for the two entities that were involved.”

The students say that if they win, a portion of the proceeds will go toward the Human Jukebox and its media team, as well as scholarships for future students.

The 45th Annual Sports Emmy Awards will be available to watch here: https://theemmys.tv/sports/