Emmy-nominated Sherene Strausberg is founder of 87th Street Creative, a women-led animation studio specializing in healthcare storytelling. A four-in-one creative combining animation, composition, audio engineering and graphic design, she transforms complex information into clear, empowering animated videos for clients including McKinsey, Calendly, and Healthline Media among other major healthcare organizations.

How many years have you been a judge?

This is my first year!

What excited you about judging for the Telly Awards?

Viewing all the amazing content in our industry, seeing rising talent and understanding how new tools are being used to create original content.

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

My first job was editing audio clips for 1KTV, the first mobile news sites for mobile flip phones. It taught me to find a better job!

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

We created a 2-minute animated video for the 2024 gala of Womankind, a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence in New York City. Besides screening at the gala, it also was shared on their newsletter, their website and their social media. It shows the journey of one woman’s story, going through the process of healing, and utilizing all the services Womankind offers, while keeping her anonymous. It also raises awareness about alarming statistics for gender-based violence in the U.S., especially in the Asian community. It was nominated for The Motion Awards in 2025.

What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?

Finding new clients who have budgets and reasonable timelines to create content.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

Originality, high engagement, diverse perspective

What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?

As the owner of an animation and motion design studio, I’m responsible for all the creative content and output. But, also responsible for bringing in new business and working with clients. I love bringing on new talent into my studio and seeing their perspective and what unique skills they can bring to a project.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

We’re currently creating a two video series for the Los Angeles County Public Health Department on how to get help if your child has a learning disability. What’s challenging is it needs to be translated into 9 languages for subtitles, and two languages for the voiceover. So, besides all of the creative work, I’m learning the challenges of making something as inclusive as possible, to make it helpful for the diverse communities in Southern California.

Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?

Looking through Pinterest, and seeing what’s trending. Reading new memoirs.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?

My career began as a film composer in Hollywood—a dream I’d been chasing since I was sixteen. The spark was lit in a dark movie theater when I saw The Prince of Tides. There’s a moment when a violinist plays with such passion that, when the music stopped, I instinctively began to clap. In that instant, I realized the incredible power of sound and image together—the way they can transport you beyond the screen. From that moment on, I was determined to create that same magic for others. A decade later, that teenage dream had come full circle as I found myself creating the very kind of film scores that once inspired me.

But, in order to have better work/life balance, I left the film and pursued graphic design before pivoting once again to motion graphics and animation. I saw a powerful explainer video for GirlEffect, a nonprofit that helps adolescent girls in the Global South. It inspired me to use my skills for good, and work more with nonprofits, and become B Corp certified, to use business for good.

In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?

The shear amount of content is overwhelming, because everyone has access to all the hardware and software now. But, it doesn’t mean all the content is good. It feels like it’s all the same…everyone talking to a camera, subtitles of their words popping up, but no one saying anything that’s unique or interesting. People should plan more about what they have to say and what makes it interesting and how to make their message more unique and memorable.