Alumnus Thrilled with Winning Daytime Emmy Award

Surrounded by highly talented artists at the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, Scott Gryder, a Texas Tech University graduate, was honored just to have been nominated. As name after name was called up to the stage, he watched in admiration from his seat.

But when he and fellow cast member, Jessica Honor Carleton, of Green Screen Adventures were announced as the winners for best makeup, they were floored.

“We didn't go in expecting to win,” Gryder said. “It was just an honor to be nominated. But when we did, my first thought was, ‘We’re Green Screen Adventures. Tell your friends.’”

Gryder earned his bachelor’s in theater in 2005 before moving to Chicago, where he works and performs for Green Screen Adventures. The children’s television show inspires elementary students to submit their writing by having cast members act out the stories submitted.

Prior to this show, most of Gryder’s experience with makeup entailed what he had learned in a stage makeup class at Texas Tech.

“The class was part of exploring the full theater curriculum at Tech,” he said. “When it came to Green Screen Adventures, I quickly found out that we had to do our own makeup. So, I brought in my makeup kit from my Texas Tech class and started painting my face. I’ve been a monkey, a tiger, an alligator and many other fictional and real animals.”

Brownfield Native Always had Passion for Art

Gryder said his ability to create these animal-like designs came from an early interest in art, so painting his face only came naturally.

Before coming to Texas Tech, the West Texas native attended Brownfield High School. Enthusiastic about art, he had dreams of becoming an art instructor at a secondary school until his freshman year, when he took his first theater class.

Gryder said he never looked back.

“One of my favorite things about the theater scene is the familial bond you so quickly form within the casts and crews you work with,” Gryder said. “But beyond that is the ever-present urge to entertain. I want to share my fervent passion for singing, storytelling and acting. I love to connect with an audience.”

However, Gryder’s dreams do not stop with prestigious awards. He says he still hopes to take his cabaret, Simply Scotty, on tour, traveling to venues across the country to share the music he loves.

For those hoping to follow in Gryder’s successful footsteps, he has some pieces of advice.

“Surround yourself with excellence,” Gryder said. “When you’re surrounded by those whose works you admire, you will grow in that similar direction of excellence.”