Local Filmmakers Nominated For Regional Emmy Awards

Partick Wimp is a filmmaker. His film, “Mister Abbott,” has been nominated for a Regional Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement for Documentary – Historical. Photo provided by Patrick Wimp.
Partick Wimp is a filmmaker. His film, “Mister Abbott,” has been nominated for a Regional Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement for Documentary – Historical. Photo provided by Patrick Wimp.

Local Filmmakers Nominated For Regional Emmy Awards

By Tia Carol Jones

Patrick Wimp was set to graduate with a degree in Business and started dabbling in screenwriting. He fell in love with it and applied to DePaul University for graduate school. He graduated from DePaul in 2011 with a Master of Fine Arts.

George Ellzey, Founder of Cottage Grove Productions, began acting and transitioned to screenwriting and directing because he wanted to tell stories that mimicked his experience on screen. He made web series and short films with his friends around the city. In 2019, he was accepted at DePaul University’s Film School, where he was connected to filmmaker Wimp. Ellzey graduated from DePaul with a Master of Fine Arts in 2025.

Wimp said DePaul gave them the tools to write, shoot and edit stories they wanted to tell. He said it made him fall in love with taking ownership of his stories and the filmmaking process. Ellzey and Wimp both had their short films, “Cottage Grove” and “Mister Abbott,” streamed for AMC+, now both have been nominated for regional Emmy Awards.

Ellzey said he was inspired to make “Cottage Grove” after a moment he had with his father. He said the story is a culmination of the things he wishes he had said to his father and things his friends have shared with him about their parents. He said the film has themes of masculinity and reconciliation.

“It’s influenced by my experience, but it’s also for people from the South side, people who are trying to find common ground with a parent, or anyone who’s just trying to heal,” Ellzey said.

Wimp described “Mister Abbott” as a lyrically and poetically infused short form documentary about Robert Sengstacke Abbott, the Founder of the Chicago Defender. He was approached by a man who was part of a group that purchased the paper in the 2000s about doing the story.

 Another personal tie to the story is that Wimp’s great-great grandmother invested in the Chicago Defender and the paper was laid out on her kitchen table. It was a story that Wimp always heard and through the creative process of the project, he discovered more of the details. For “Mister Abbott,” poetry and hip-hop elements were infused into the project, along with graphic recreations. Wimp said the big goal of the project was to find an emotional through point to the audience.

Wimp and Ellzey credit Troy Pryor and the Tate Brothers with their films being screened with AMC+ for the month of February and into March. Pryor is the Founder of Creative Cypher and XL Fest, two entities that strive to support creatives from Chicago as they tell stories that highlight the lived experiences of people in and from the city.

"Creative Cypher is proud to support Patrick and George—two bold, visionary creators. The success of “Mister Abbott” and “Cottage Grove “show what’s possible when we invest in our own. These films reflect our mission to eliminate the need for permission. They didn’t wait for the spotlight—they created it. We’re honored to be part of their continued rise,” Pryor said in a release.

Wimp said with the Emmy Awards, the people involved are their peers and seasoned professionals who have great acclaim and credits of their own. He said it means a lot to have their peers hold their art in such high regard to nominate them. He said there is a degree of validation that makes him feel good. Ellzey said he is super grateful for the nomination. He said the nomination for his film is a testament to everyone who was involved in the making of it.

“Both of these are so explicitly Chicago stories, and I think to feel the love for that and have people respond to that... it’s just mind blowing and feels tremendous,” Wimp said.

The Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy Awards will take place on Nov. 1st at the Swissotel. For more information about Patrick Wimp, visit www.patrickwimp.com. For more information about George Ellzey, visit www.cottagegroveproductions.com.


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