Abbey Mecca, Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park Win Three Awards for Two Wars Documentary in the 44th Annual Telly Awards

BUFFALO, NEW YORK –  July 19, 2023 – Abbey Mecca and the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park announced that the documentary film, TWO WARS: The Road to Integration received three awards in the 44th Annual Telly Awards competition. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies and including Adobe, BBC World Service, Netflix, Dow Jones, Complex Networks, Jennifer Garner, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, Nickelodeon, National Geographic Society, ESPN Films, RYOT, Partizan and Vimeo.

Pictured left to right: Paul Marzello, President & CEO and Steven Tedesco, Director of Education from the Buffalo Naval Park, pictured with Sean Donovan, Video Producer, and Paul Maurer, Art Director, from Abbey Mecca.

Abbey Mecca and the Buffalo Naval Park collaborated on the TWO WARS documentary which received Silver Telly awards in three categories: Documentary-Short Form, Documentary-General History, and Documentary-Editing.

“The caliber of the work this season coming from creators such as Abbey Mecca and the Buffalo Naval Park truly has reflected the theme of breaking out and standing out,” said Tellys Executive Director Sabrina Dridje. “Our industry is experimenting with new technologies like never before, crafting truly compelling stories to draw attention to some of the world’s most pressing issues, and companies big and small are turning to more sustainable practices to break the cycle of past production processes.”

TWO WARS: The Road to Integration is a 30-minute film that tackles the topic of segregation and eventual integration of the United States Military. Since the earliest days of the Republic, African Americans have been part of the nation’s fighting force. African American service members in the United States Military fought to defend the very freedoms they could not enjoy as citizens.

In 2022, the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park created an original exhibit and educational program entitled TWO WARS: The Road to Integration. Director of Education, Steven Tedesco created the exhibit to tell the story and major events in U.S. history that involved the segregated armed forces and the changes leading to an integrated fighting force. Tedesco also wrote and co-directed the film.

TWO WARS is told within the context of three time periods – the time from the Revolutionary War to World War II, World War II and Executive Order 9981, and post-World War II to modern-day. The Buffalo Naval Park commissioned Abbey Mecca, a Buffalo based creative and digital marketing firm to produce the documentary. Interviews with military historians, African American authors and historians, along with African American veterans from World War II and other wars, provide first-hand accounts of segregation and integration in the U.S. Military.

The film features interviews with:

Dr. Krewasky Salter, Smithsonian Curator; Executive Director, Pritzker Military Museum Dr. Joanne Martin, Executive Director, The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum
Dr. Steve Peraza, American History Professor, Buffalo State College
Saladin Allah, Historian
Paulette Woods, Sgt., US Army (RET.), daughter of Paul Woods
Paul Woods, SSG, US Army (RET.), WWII Veteran
Paulette Ross, daughter of Montford Point Marine Edward Ross
Theron Ross, son of Montford Point Marine Edward Ross
Edna W. Cummings, Col. US Army (RET.)
Janice Martin, daughter of 6888 Member Indiana Hunt Martin
Roland Hayes, Staff Sgt. US Army (RET.)
Dr. Kanasha Blue, Staff Sgt., US Army (RET.)

Production credits include:

Written by Steven Tedesco
Directed by Steven Tedesco and Sean Donovan Production by Abbey Mecca & Company Director of Photography – Sean Donovan
Art Director – Paul Maurer
Editor, Sound Design, and Motion Graphics – Sean Donovan
Executive Producers – Paul Marzello and Daniel Mecca
Associate Producers – Dr. Kanasha Blue and Saladin Allah Sound Recordist – Alex Vendura
Hair and Makeup – Beth Donovan
Production Assistant – Cassie White
Archive Materials – Tess Dailey

Pictured left to right: Steven Tedesco, Director of Education and Paul Marzello, President & CEO from the Buffalo Naval Park, pictured with Sean Donovan, Video Producer from Abbey Mecca.

“The TWO WARS exhibit and film are ways for the Buffalo Naval Park to fulfill its mission while telling an important chapter of American history. We are thrilled this film and the efforts of those involved received this well-deserved recognition.” commented Paul Marzello, President and CEO for the Buffalo Naval Park.

“Receiving three Tellys is a significant achievement for Abbey Mecca, the Buffalo Naval Park and the team behind the production. I congratulate Steven Tedesco and Sean Donovan, who directed and edited the film, for their vision and talent that brought this important story to life.” added Dan Mecca, President and Managing Creative Director for Abbey Mecca.

The film can be viewed HERE

About Abbey Mecca
Now in the 54th year of operation, Abbey Mecca was founded in 1969 by C. Robert Abbey and Nicholas D. Mecca. The agency provides brand strategy, advertising and digital marketing services to clients in a variety of industries including, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, business services, technology and non-profit. More information is available at abbeymecca.com.

About the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is the nation’s largest inland naval park and the home of four U.S. Naval vessels: USS The Sullivans, USS Little Rock, USS Croaker, and PTF-17. Located on Buffalo’s Waterfront, this unique family destination is committed to its mission, which is to honor, educate, inspire, and preserve. The Buffalo Naval & Military Park also features a Museum, United States Military Exhibits, and a beautifully manicured Veterans Park with 14 monuments and memorials dedicated to those who served our country. More information about the Buffalo Naval Park is available at buffalonavalpark.org

About The Telly Awards
This was a record breaking year with nearly 13,000 entries from across the globe and top video and television content producers such as Airbnb, Audible, BET Networks/BET Digital, BritBox, Disney, FEMA, Gaumont, Golden State Warriors, MediaMonks, NASA, National Geographic Society, Netflix, Paramount, PBS Digital Studios and more.

The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include Green The Bid, SeriesFest, Video Consortium, Ghetto Film School, We Are Parable, Future of Film, NAB, Stash, NYWIFT, Production Hub with support from The Commercial Director’s Diversity Program.

The full list of the 44th Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners.