Help this Jerry Awards Influencer get to New York City!
Mary Cait McManamon
Lights, camera, action! Alexa Sochan from Overture’s Jerry Awards Student Social Influencer program has been selected as a Student Reporter Finalist by The Jimmy Awards ®/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® program. Now she needs your help to get selected to cover the annual awards event in New York City in June!
You can visit the Jimmy Awards on Instagram and Facebook to watch Sochan’s video at least once, then like, comment and share the video. Part of the selection process is based on social media engagement and video views, so the more views the better!
As a Student Social Influencer, Sochan has been learning the ropes of theater journalism, social media and storytelling and using those skills to cover a variety of events at Overture Center. After submitting her final project to the national Jimmy Awards she was selected as a finalist.
At the Jimmy Awards, student reporters from participating regional awards programs cover events through social media. This opportunity was added to the program as an effort to include students who are not eligible to be nominated as performers. It provides a chance to expand connections into local schools’ journalism, film and related departments. Student reporters work directly with the Jimmy Awards digital team, providing an inside look at the digital marketing strategy of Jimmy Awards’ coverage while gaining insight into the field as a whole.
Sochan, an Abundant Life Christian School student, hasn’t always been behind the camera. Last year, she performed on stage at the Jerry Awards after winning dance and spirit awards.
“Walking out on stage and seeing the crowd of hundreds of people was probably one of the best moments of my life,” says Sochan.
This year, Sochan plays a different role with the Jerry Awards.
“As a student influencer, I’ll be involved backstage this year, helping to create content to promote the Jerry Awards,” she says. “I’m very excited to see other people take the stage and to film them shining their light.”
Let’s help Alexa get to New York and show the country what Wisconsin students can do!
The Jimmy Awards®/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) program impacts approximately 150,000 students who participate in 55 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $6,000,000 in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend ten days in New York City from Friday, June 13, 2025, through Tuesday, June 24, 2025, and their experience will culminate in an extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The sixteenth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.