Lubbock-based agencies and organizations were honored with numerous Telly Awards earlier this year at the 47th Annual Telly Awards.
Primitive touts 5 awards
Primitive, a full-service marketing and creative agency based in downtown Lubbock, earned five Telly Awards in the 2026 competition, including a Gold, the program’s highest honor. The agency went five-for-five on submissions.
The centerpiece of Primitive’s award season is “From Dust: How Earth’s Smallest Resource Could Shape the Future,” which earned a Gold Telly in the General — Documentary: Short Form (Under 40 Minutes) category. Produced for Curtis & Curtis Seed Co. and Barenbrug USA, the documentary follows ranchers, seed experts, and forage consultants as they confront water scarcity across the Texas Panhandle and West Texas.
A Gold Telly represents the top tier of the competition. According to the Telly Awards, fewer than 10 percent of entries receive Silver or Gold recognition.
“Five awards across four clients is a remarkable result, and it belongs entirely to the people who made these stories possible,” said Jerred Hurst, CEO of Primitive. “What excites me the most is the range, from a Gold-winning documentary about sustainability in the seed industry to brand work in beauty, agriculture and food. That breadth is what Primitive is built to do, and these awards reflect what happens when talented people do meaningful work.”
The five award-winning projects reflect the work of Primitive’s full in-house team, including studio production, copywriting, creative design, account management, and strategy. The wins are a collective result, earned across every discipline the agency brings to a project.
South Town Productions recognized for music video
South Town Productions announced that its music video “Happy,” created for the band Nine Left Dead, was named a Bronze Winner in the Branded Content: Craft – Videography/Cinematography category.
The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies. This year’s winners include Paramount TV, Warner Brothers Discovery, FOX Entertainment, MoMA, Mayo Clinic, Sony Music, TED, Al Jazeera, Variety, PETA, United Talent Agency, People Inc., Olympic Channel, AccuWeather, ABC News, Dude Perfect, Washington Commanders, Harvard Business School, Modern Post, and more.
Winning in a craft category specifically recognizes excellence in cinematography, visual composition, and creative execution. The award-winning music video was filmed in Lubbock, Texas, further highlighting the level of cinematic production and creative storytelling emerging from West Texas.
“Winning a Bronze Telly Award for this project is an incredible honor, especially because this was our first submission and our first attempt at creating something on this scale creatively,” said Adam Garcia, Founder of South Town Productions. “From the very beginning, we wanted ‘Happy’ to feel cinematic, emotional, and authentic to who Nine Left Dead is as artists. We’ve always believed storytelling has the power to create emotional connections that go far beyond entertainment — not just for music, but for brands, organizations, and audiences as a whole. To see that vision recognized internationally alongside some of the biggest names in the industry is both humbling and motivating. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who believed in the project and helped bring it to life.”
Committed to pushing the boundaries of creativity forward, this year’s new categories included topics within Generative A.I., Animation, and Creators. These categories centered on stories and collaborations that are actively evolving within the video and television industry. With over 13,000 entries from across the globe and top video and television content producers. Winners were chosen by The Telly Awards Judging Council, which features more than 250 experts across the world of video. This year welcomed judges including Tamara Kruger, Head of Content and Sponsorships, Google; Janet Graham Borba, Executive VP of Production, HBO; Phil Cook, Chief Marketing Officer, WNBA; and Andrea Wertheim, Senior Manager Post Production, Netflix.
Lubbock agencies, organizations win Telly Awards
The full list of 2026 Telly winners from Lubbock includes:
Silver Winners
Bronze Winners
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock’s Primitive, South Town Productions among Telly Award winners
Reporting by Special for the Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Special for the Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
