A Visit to the Third Annual Children’s and Family Emmy® Awards

by Aiden An

Scholastic Kid Reporter Aiden An (far left) pictured with Walker Scobell (middle) and Aryan Simhadri (right), who play Percy Jackson and Grover, respectively. Their show received 16 nominations and won 8 of them across various categories.
Scholastic Kid Reporter Aiden An (far left) pictured with Walker Scobell (middle) and Aryan Simhadri (right), who play Percy Jackson and Grover, respectively. Their show received 16 nominations and won 8 of them across various categories (photo courtesy of the author).

On March 15, 2025, kids and families were brimming with excitement for the Third Annual Children’s and Family Emmy® (CAFE) Awards. Hundreds of voice actors, choreographers, directors, actors, camera crew, and puppetry performers gathered at the CAFE Awards in Television City, Los Angeles. As nominees, they were invited to attend the CAFE Main Ceremony and CAFE Creative Arts Ceremony. 

 

Both events were hosted and presented by Eric Bauza. He was nominated for the Teen Titans Go! show and won his third Emmy award at this year’s ceremony. The CAFE Awards brought together some of the most talented young actors, voice actors, and notable personalities of today. 

This was a popular photo spot for nominees and winners. Many people took photos with the LEGO Emmy awards (photo courtesy of the author).

As guests arrived at the purple carpet, excitement grew among the line of reporters prepared to interview nominees. During the CAFE Main Ceremony, I met director James Bobin and the entire cast of the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show, including actors Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, Leah Jeffries, and Adam Copeland, who played the roles of Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, and Ares, respectively. Percy Jackson and the Olympians received 16 total nominations, winning eight in total. Bobin also won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Live Action Series. On what his Emmy award meant to him, Bobin said, “So many people worked so hard and brilliantly that I accept this award on behalf of everybody. As a director, I am in charge of making decisions, but these people do stuff for you every day. They have great ideas and are very collaborative, so I really feel like it’s an award for everybody in this show.” He even gave me an opportunity to hold his Emmy trophy! It was quite heavy. 

Aiden pictured with with nominee and winner David Lux for his television special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin. It won an Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in Storyboard done by David Lux as a Storyboard Artist (photo courtesy of the author).

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Vadim Kapridov, a Consulting Producer for 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films’ Blue’s Clues & You, which won “Outstanding Preschool Series” at the event, as well. I also met very young actors, including Phoenix Laroche from The Velveteen Rabbit and Pyper Braun from Erin & Aaron. Both were nominated for Best Young Performer. Laroche won his first Emmy, as one of the youngest to ever do so. “I would like to thank my Papa for this award, for giving me acting tips, and my Mama for always taking me to set and for being the best,” he said. 

Interview with Phoenix Laroche from The Velveteen Rabbit, who was nominated for and won Outstanding Younger Performer in a Preschool, Children's or Young Teen Program. He is one of the youngest winners of an Emmy award (photo courtesy of the author).

I was able to interview nominees for the new Goosebumps show including one of the show’s executive producers, Scholastic Entertainment’s Caitlin Friedman, and co-producer Adrian Cox, at the CAFE Award Ceremony. I also met Baindu Saidu and Courtney Perdue, who wrote for and helped produce Goosebumps. When asked what their favorite book series were as children, Saidu joked, “I think we would get in trouble if we don’t say Goosebumps, but that was definitely one of my favorites.” Purdue also wanted to share with readers that they should dream big and go after their dreams, as you never know what will happen. “I always dreamed of being part of the film industry, and now I’m here!” she said. 

Goosebumps Executive Producer, Scholastic Entertainment’s Caitlin Friedman (photo courtesy of the author).

Winners of the Event 

 

The CAFE Awards had over 50 different categories across both events and over 100 nominations for both individual and show performances. The ceremony marks a celebration of a wide array of powerful work. Among many others, shows and movies such as Orion and the Dark, Malory Towers, SuperKitties, The Santa Clauses, and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock were nominated for and won awards at the CAFE Main Ceremony. During the CAFE Creative Arts Ceremony, I met creators of famous PBS Shows, including Blue’s Clues & You, Molly of Denali, and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, as well as many choreographers, music producers, and camera crew. 

 

Special recognition was given to Fran Brill, a puppeteer and actress known especially for her work on Sesame Street. For her contributions, she was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the CAFE Main Ceremony. When I spoke with her, she shared, “It’s very nice to be recognized from the community.” When asked what this award meant to her, Brill said, “I hope this award means that a lot of women after me will win awards for puppeteering. I also hope to help people stay in touch with their inner child through puppeteering.” 

Aiden pictured with Rachel Schwartz, the first-ever female Head of the CAFE and Daytime Emmys (photo courtesy of the author).

Rachel Schwartz, the first-ever female Head of the CAFE and Daytime Emmys was responsible for determining the categories for the awards, the shows eligible for nomination, and the judges. She shared an uplifting message for all readers of the Scholastic Kids Press. “Everything that is happening to the nominees here today, can happen to them, whatever their dreams are,” she shared. 

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