Emily Houck’s 21st birthday on Saturday was a celebration to treasure.
The GCU entrepreneurship graduate and her IDEEUH Media company, co-founded with brother Dillon, won an Emmy at the Boston/New England Regional Emmy Awards on Saturday in the public service announcement campaign category.
“It was quite the weekend,” Houck said. “I don’t think I can ever beat that.”
The Houcks, natives of Idaho, started their video company while in high school with the support of their father, Chad, former Idaho Secretary of State. They produced a series of 40 videos for Idaho’s elections designed for poll worker training and public education, such as how to register to vote, documents needed to vote, and addressing frequently asked questions.
They soon attended National Association of Secretaries of State conferences and worked with seven states to create similar public service announcements.
One of those states was New Hampshire, where they created the New Hampshire Cybersecurity and Civic Education Campaign, a series of videos designed to educate state voters about the importance of cybersecurity and civic responsibility, including how to recognize and avoid phishing attacks and misinformation generated by artificial intelligence.
The work of Emily, executive producer, and Dillon, producer, went up against submissions by well-seasoned network television reporters and anchors.
“I wasn’t necessarily anticipating winning,” Emily Houck said. “The nomination itself was an accomplishment. But the imposter syndrome was strong being in that room and seeing everyone there, seasoned professionals on their 30th awards show and seeing the other nominees as well. And then winning, I was in absolute shock.
“But it was beautiful because I could see how proud my parents were, and I know they’re really the only reason we’ve gotten that far. My father is so helpful in every possible way. They sacrificed so much financially with their time to put us in this position. It made me feel good because I know I made them proud, and seeing their faces and (seeing them) sobbing was beautiful.”
A lot of event attendees had plenty of questions for the Houcks: “A lot of people asked, ‘What network are you here with?’ ” Houck said. “All the TV channels had their submissions, and we’re not with a network.
“They asked if there was a production company, and we said, ‘IDEEUH Media,’ and (they replied), ‘Oh, who owns that?’ 'We do. Just us two produce this entire thing.' And everybody was so confused every time we said that.”
Legendary journalist Meredith Vieira, a Rhode Island native whose 50 years in television have included hosting roles on the "The Today Show," "The View," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and "25 Words or Less," received the prestigious Governor’s Award.
“I’m in the same room as a peer to those people … insane,” Houck said.
There’s little time for an extended celebration. Dillon, who couldn’t attend the awards ceremony because of a previous commitment in Oregon, and Emily will fly next week to Louisiana to start a similar campaign expected to span six months.
“This will be one of the biggest we’ve ever done,” said Emily, who will serve as project manager while Dillon will handle the video duties.
They will be producing everything from radio ads to social media posts to in-person video shots.
“It’s a big jump, but it’s wonderful, and they have high confidence in us,” said Emily, who attended her first National Association of Secretaries of State Convention in Baton Rouge in 2022, in which the siblings presented their services to state officials.
“And it speaks volumes about how we’re perceived by these states and professionals.”
Especially in Louisiana, where they worked with the state’s previous secretary of state.
“We’ve been established in that market, and they’ve seen us over the years growing,” Houck said. “They knew we’d be a good option to reach out to.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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