2-Time | EMMY Award Nominee Joseph Cinemato
Landmark Awards and Creative Momentum
Joseph Cinemato’s latest TELLY Award win marks a defining creative milestone, one that places HBM Talent and Sophia Felix at the center of this year’s award-winning storytelling conversation. At the 2025 46th Annual TELLY Awards, Cinemato swept four awards: Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Documentary, and Best Promo—earning recognition alongside industry giants such as Pixar Animation Studios, ESPN, NASA, MTV Entertainment Studios, Telemundo, Hearst Media, and the LA Clippers after competing against more than 13,000 entries worldwide. Judged by a council of leaders from Netflix, YouTube, HBO, IMAX, PepsiCo, Tribeca Film, Nickelodeon, and BBC StoryWorks, the wins brought JosephCinemato’s total to an impressive 15 TELLY Awards and followed his recent two Emmy Awards nominations for Best Director and Best Cinematographer. Reflecting on the moment, he says, “It’s truly an unbelievable honor to be recognized at this level. Standing alongside renowned names like Pixar, NASA, and MTV is incredibly humbling and motivates me even more to keep pushing creative boundaries.”
Creative Partnership with Sophia Felix and Vision in Motion – Win 46th Annual Telly Awards
At the heart of this TELLY Award win is Joseph Cinemato’s collaboration with HBM Talent standout Sophia Felix, whose presence and authenticity drive the award-winning promo Beyond the Spotlight. The partnership reflects a creative shorthand built on trust, instinct, and shared vision. Joseph recalls being thrilled by the win, yet confident in the outcome, noting that from the outset he told Felix, “We’re going to win another Telly Award with this project.” When the news arrived, the celebration was simple and intentional: “We raised a toast and said, ‘Charge on,’ because that was always the intention.”
On set, that trust translated into agility. The concept evolved dramatically just before production, and Felix backed the pivot without hesitation. “I appreciated how much she trusted my instinct on that pivot,” Joseph Cinemato explains, “and it ended up bringing the entire story to life in a fresh way.” The result is a TELLY Award–winning piece that not only showcases cinematic craft, but intentionally highlights the depth, professionalism, and presence Sophia Felix brings as an artist represented by HBM Talent.
Storytelling Philosophy and Advice to Creatives
Balancing directing and cinematography are two roles many keep separate and with demands that require constant recalibration. For Joseph, the challenge is “balancing time and shifting focus,” moving seamlessly between crew logistics and guiding talent while remaining equally prepared artistically and operationally. His broader philosophy centers on listening first. “I am of the mind that every single person has an amazing story to tell,” he says. “My approach starts with invoking conversation and just sitting back and listening… Once you find the gems, weave it all together with a compelling hook, arch, payoff structure and you’ll land the story.”
What inspires him most remains unchanged: people and the human condition. From portrait photography to filmmaking, he is drawn to how emotions surface—subtle or explosive—and how those moments connect us. To emerging creatives, his advice is direct and disciplined: “Shut out the noise, put your head down, and focus on your craft… Aim to be the best you can each time, improving one small thing with every project. Those incremental gains add up. And always focus on the people in the story.
Audiences can follow Joseph Cinemato’s ongoing work at www.JosephCinemato.com, on Instagram @Joseph.Cinemato, and on LinkedIn.
