Water Tower Demolition Video Wins Prestigious Telly Award for Paducah Site

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership Information Technology Specialist and Drone Pilot Jim Reason, left, and Public Affairs Manager Dylan Nichols pose with their Gold Telly Awards. The duo was responsible for the production of last year’s water tower demolition video.

PADUCAH, Ky. — A video featuring last year’s safe and successful demolition of a 300-foot water tower at the Paducah Site was recognized as a Gold Telly Award winner for excellence in video production out of more than 13,000 entries from across the globe.

“This award reflects many hours of very specific project planning and precise execution by our talented public affairs team,” U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Paducah Site Lead April Ladd said. “Award-winning videos like these are incredibly visual and powerful tools for connecting with our stakeholders.”

Removal of the water tower, with its iconic red and white checkerboard pattern, was a significant step in EM’s ongoing efforts to remove unused facilities and further the cleanup mission conducted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, preparing the site for potential reuse and economic development.

“The Gold Telly Award recognizes our team’s commitment to communicating progress at the site with our community,” Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. “We’re proud to support DOE’s mission by sharing the story of safe and effective cleanup progress at the Paducah Site through videos like these.”

FRNP is the deactivation and remediation contractor at the Paducah Site.

This year’s Telly Awards were selected and judged by a panel of more than 250 industry professionals. The 2025 theme, “Stories Take Shape,” celebrates innovative storytelling that helps audiences understand complex challenges and solutions.

It wasn’t the first time EM team members have been honored with a Telly Award. Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth, the deactivation and demolition contractor at the Portsmouth Site, earned a Bronze Telly Award for non-broadcast video production in 2023. The company received the award for showcasing photography and video drone footage of the demolition of X-326 Process Building. That demolition marked the most significant cleanup milestone to date at the site.

And in 2021, the Communications & Media Services Department for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) at the Savannah River Site won a Gold Telly for “Savannah River Site Overview” in the non-broadcast, corporate image category, and a Bronze Telly for “SRNS Now: September 2020” in the non-broadcast, employee communications category.

Founded in 1979 to honor television commercials, with non-broadcast video and television programming added soon after, the awards have evolved with the rise of digital video to include branded content, documentary, social media, immersive and more.

-Contributor: Dylan Nichols