BRIDGEPORT – The Barnum Museum has won an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter for its acclaimed original digital series, “Showman’s Shorts.”
The museum, which is an homage to showman P.T. Barnum, won in the Historical/Cultural – Short Form Content category. The series was produced and directed by William Sarris, produced and edited by Rui Pinho, and written and hosted by Betsy Golden Kellem.
The award recognizes the downtown Bridgeport museum’s outstanding achievement in using creative storytelling to bring history to life, engaging audiences across the region and beyond with accessible, entertaining, and impactful content.
“We are overjoyed and deeply honored to have ‘Showman’s Shorts’ recognized by the Academy,” said Kathleen Maher, Barnum Museum executive director. “We’re truly honored by this award! It’s a meaningful recognition of our team’s creativity, passion, and commitment to bringing Barnum’s story to life in bold and thoughtful ways.
“Their work honors the past while looking ahead, and we’re deeply grateful to share these remarkable stories with our community and beyond. This recognition is a powerful reminder of the lasting impact of great storytelling.”
“Showman’s Shorts” is a digital short-form video series produced by the Barnum Museum that brings educational, surprising, humorous, and often little-known stories from the life and legacy of P.T. Barnum to modern audiences. Created during the Museum’s ongoing historic restoration and re-envisioning, the series has become a vital platform for public engagement, offering entertaining, educational glimpses into Barnum’s world and 19th-century America.
The museum received support from the following sponsors: M&T Bank, CT Humanities, and the City of Bridgeport.
The winners were announced at the 48th Annual Boston/New England Emmy® Awards Gala on June 7, in Boston.
To catch up on “Showman’s Shorts” and other digital content from the Barnum Museum, visit the museum’s YouTube Channel.
For more than a century, the Barnum Museum has stood as one of Bridgeport’s most cherished cultural and educational institutions. It was originally founded by Barnum to promote artistic achievement, scientific discovery, and cultural heritage. The museum was designed to inspire the public to see the world as a place of curiosity, knowledge, opportunity, and wonder. Long before his famed circus was launched in 1872, Barnum was already a nationally influential entrepreneur, museum proprietor, civic leader, philanthropist, emancipationist, lecturer, and author.
The Barnum Museum is undergoing an extensive historic restoration with limited public hours.
