Merrillville, Ind. – May 21, 2025 – Lakeshore Public Media and First Things First Porter County announced today that their original production, Building Blocks: The First 1,000 Days, has been honored with a Silver Telly Award in the General – Public Interest & Awareness category in the 46th Annual Telly Awards.
The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens and are judged by leaders from premier video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies. This year’s winners include Pixar Animation Studios, Hearst Media, ESPN, LinkedIn, NASA, MTV Entertainment Studios, and the LA Clippers, among others.
“This award is a powerful recognition of what can happen when community partnerships come together with a shared vision,” said Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer, Executive Director at First Things First Porter County and Building Blocks: The Podcast Host. “We’re grateful to Lakeshore Public Media for helping shine a light on the importance of the first 1,000 days—because when we invest in young children, we invest in the future of Northwest Indiana.”
Building Blocks: The First 1,000 Days is a compelling episode within Lakeshore’s ongoing Building Blocks multimedia initiative, produced to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development. The episode was directed and produced by Tony Santucci of Lakeshore Public Media and co-produced by Mary Jane Eisenhauer of First Things First Porter County. It offers an insightful look into the developmental milestones and critical support systems within a child’s first three years of life. More about the series can be found at BuildingBlocksInfo.org
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized by the Telly Awards for this important project,” said Anthony Santucci, Vice President of Production, at Lakeshore Public Media. “Building Blocks: The First 1,000 Days reflects our deep commitment to community-driven storytelling and our mission to educate, inform, and inspire viewers across Northwest Indiana and beyond.”
Learn more about Building Blocks at BuildingBlocksInfo.org.
About Lakeshore Public MediaLakeshore Public Media’s radio broadcast can be heard on 89.1 FM. Lakeshore PBS broadcasts on channel 56 over the air, as well as on DirecTV, DISH Network, and AT&T U-verse. Comcast Xfinity viewers can find Lakeshore PBS on channels 17 or 21, while RCN viewers can tune to channel 44. Lakeshore’s content can also be streamed online at LakeshorePublicMedia.org, on the free PBS Video App, YouTube TV, Hulu Live, Local Now, and through its all-access mobile app available in Apple, Google, Amazon, and Kindle app stores.
About First Things First Porter County
First Things First Porter County (FTF) is a community effort to support families, healthy beginnings, and early relational health for every Porter County baby. A collaborative of community partners, FTF is the backbone organization bringing the community together around a common agenda, shared metrics, mutually reinforcing activities and continuous communication. Together with their partners, FTF helps to create a rich system of care, support, and services so that every Porter County baby born is prepared for a strong start in life. Learn more at www.firstthingspc.org
