2021 RECIPIENTS
ELIZABETH COULON
Coulon Casting, CSA
Casting Director
Elizabeth Coulon was born in 1978 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production from the University of New Orleans in 2002. Elizabeth received New Orleans City Business Magazine's "Innovator of the Year Gold Award" in 2005 for excellence in business innovation and was honored in New Orleans City Business Magazine's "Women of the Year" Issue in 2004. She currently resides in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Melanie Hebert
News Anchor turned entrepreneur
Melanie began her television career as an intern in Los Angeles for the nationally-syndicated entertainment news magazine “Extra" in 2002. Her first on-air job was anchoring a morning news/talk show at the NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge where she also hosted and produced a weekly public affairs show, created/produced/hosted two half-hour specials on the Miss Teen USA pageant and created/produced/anchored a two-week local Olympic newscast series "From Baton Rouge to Athens," highlighting Olympians with Baton Rouge ties. Additionally, she hosted the MDA Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon in Baton Rouge for several years while actively volunteering for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Abby Berendt Lavoi
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Awards and honors include the New York Television Festival, the Telly Awards, PromaxBDA, Broadcast Education Association, 48 Hour Film Festival, Colorado State Alumni Association, New Orleans Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival & Skateboard Film Festival
RESILIENCE AWARD WINNER
