GROWN UP DAD NAMED SILVER WINNER IN THREE CATEGORIES AT THE 47TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joshua Kagi
541-914-1754
joshua@grownup.dad
The first docuseries to explore parenting from a father’s perspective recognized in Culture & Lifestyle, Social Impact, and Documentary
Philadelphia, PA – May 19, 2026 – Grown Up Dad, the first documentary series to explore parenting from a father’s perspective, today was named a Silver winner in three categories at the record-breaking 47th Annual Telly Awards: Series – Culture & Lifestyle, Series – Social Impact, and Series – Documentary. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and 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.
Hosted by Joe Gidjunis, Grown Up Dad is a five-part documentary series that takes an honest look at modern fatherhood, tackling the changing role of dads today, screen time challenges, reclaiming healthy masculinity, loneliness and friendship, and digital misinformation. The series premiered nationally on PBS and PBS Passport in June 2025, following an 80% approval rating from 350 PBS affiliates during its 2024 pilot and a 96% station vote to air the full season. Featured experts and creators include Richard Reeves, author of Of Boys and Men; former U.S. Army Secretary Patrick Murphy; Common Sense Media’s Merve Lapus; The Dumb Dads; and Chef Danny Freeman.
“Video has never been more contested, more creative, or more consequential than it is right now,” shares Amanda Needham, Managing Director of The Telly Awards. “The Telly Awards has had a front-row seat to this industry for 47 years, and today’s entertainment is happening in multiple formats, across every screen, and at every budget level.”
“Recognition in three separate categories — Culture & Lifestyle, Social Impact, and Documentary — tells us something we already suspected: the conversation about fatherhood matters, and people are ready for it,” said Joe Gidjunis, host and creator of Grown Up Dad. “We made this series because the resources for new fathers didn’t exist when I needed them. The response we’ve seen — from PBS audiences, from the dads sending episodes to other dads, and now from the Telly Awards Judging Council — confirms that Grown Up Dad isn’t just a show. It’s a conversation starter.”
“What started as one dad’s honest journey has become a movement that organizations, communities, and families are asking to be part of,” said Joshua Kagi, Senior Producer of Grown Up Dad. “Three Tellys is a tremendous honor, but the sustained interest in this work — viewers writing in, partners reaching out, communities asking how to bring these conversations home — is what’s most exciting. We’re using that momentum to build something bigger around the show, and we’ll have more to share in the weeks ahead.”
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.
The full list of the 47th Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners/.
Grown Up Dad is now streaming on PBS Passport and YouTube. Episodes, extended interviews, and free toolkits are available at grownup.dad.
ABOUT GROWN UP DAD
Grown Up Dad is a documentary series that explores the evolving role of fatherhood in today’s world. Historically, being a dad meant providing financially, but as conversations around masculinity and shifting gender roles continue, the definition of a “good father” has become more complex. Hosted by Joe Gidjunis, a father determined to break the cycle of absentee parenting, the series follows his journey to discover what it truly means to be an engaged and present dad. Grown Up Dad, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, please visit grownup.dad.
Please contact Joshua Kagi, Senior Producer for inquiries: joshua@grownup.dad or 541-914-1755.
Find The Telly Awards Online:
Website: www.TellyAwards.com
Facebook: /TellyAwards
X: @TellyAwards
Instagram: @TellyAwards
YouTube: /TellyAwards
ABOUT THE TELLY AWARDS
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 250 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multi-screen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include AWN, View Conference, Skwigly, ACM SIGGRAPH, Seed & Spark, Kinema, The Gotham, Portrait, NAB, RunwayML AIFF, ReelAbilities Film Festival, Film Fatales, FWD-Doc, NYWIFT, Stash, Production Hub, Video Consortium, SeriesFest and Green The Bid.
More information can be found at the Telly Awards Press Center: https://tlly.co/press
