July 25, 2024

Aleksandr Washuta ’21 was among the Vegas Golden Knights Emmy Award–winning production staff recognized for their coverage of the professional hockey team’s 2023 Stanley Cup Championship banner-raising ceremony.

“I was totally surprised. We get into such a groove during the season that we sometimes forget the impact that our work has on people,” Washuta said. “This award is a nice reminder of the special moment we were able to create for our fans.”

Washuta and his team won the Emmy Award for special events program from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter. The video producer credits his early access to real experiences at Susquehanna with preparing him for the career he has today.

“I was able to get hands-on experience very quickly, which allowed me to learn from my mistakes early. The only way to get better at anything is to keep doing it and continue to get reps in,” Washuta said. “It’s all part of growing and developing your craft.”

He also recognized mentors David Kaszuba, associate professor of communications, and John Foltz, lecturer in communications.

“I had great mentors in my time at SU that pushed me to do more,” Washuta said, “and that gave me the confidence that a kid from a smaller school could go on to do big things.”

After graduating from Susquehanna with a bachelor’s degree in sports media, Washuta accepted an internship with USA Baseball in Cary, North Carolina. Throughout that summer, he had the chance to shoot and edit various types of videos for USA Baseball’s social media platforms.

“Some of my favorite moments from my time with USA Baseball include capturing top prospects, traveling to different U.S. cities for events and working with the U.S. Olympic Team before they headed to Tokyo,” Washuta remembered.

Shortly after his internship, he landed his full-time position as a video producer for the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I get to create videos for an arena crowd of 18,000, which is something that I never thought I would do,” Washuta said. “A lot of times, I’ll be in the crowd shooting the games and see people’s live reactions to videos that I’ve had a hand in creating. It’s a pretty special feeling.”