Children's Show That Professor Consulted on Nominated for Peabody Award
The Native-themed children’s show that a Cal State San Marcos professor served as a Native production consultant for has been nominated for a Peabody Award.
The Peabody Awards recognize excellence in storytelling across television, radio and digital media, celebrating narratives that illuminate, inspire and empower audiences. Their prestigious standing within the media industry stems from their academic foundation and reputation for discerning exceptional content.
Joely Proudfit, chair of CSUSM’s American Indian studies department, was the Native production consultant for the Netflix animated series “Spirit Rangers,” which ran for 39 episodes across three seasons from 2022-24. On Thursday, “Spirit Rangers” was nominated for a Peabody Award in the category of “children’s/youth.”
“Spirit Rangers” is a fantasy-adventure preschool show that “celebrates community, nature and the rich heritage of Native American storytelling.” It was created by Karissa Valencia, a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the first California Native American showrunner.
The show featured an all-Native writers’ room and Natives in every aspect of production. More than 100 Indigenous people worked on the series.
“This recognition fills me with immense pride,” Proudfit said. “The lasting cultural impact this show is creating and will continue to create for generations to come makes me forever proud.
“This nomination honors not just my work, but the entire team’s commitment to authentic Indigenous storytelling.”
Proudfit worked alongside Valencia to help guide all production elements while collaborating closely with Indigenous communities worldwide to authenticate cultural representations, art, music and language. Her meticulous oversight extended to every aspect of the series, from script dialogue to visual artistry and musical sounds.
Proudfit, who’s also the director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSUSM, consulted on “Spirit Rangers” through her company. Native Media Strategies provides resources that help foster more authentic representation of Native and Indigenous peoples in Hollywood.
Among other projects, Proudfit previously offered Native consulting services to “Stumptown,” an ABC crime drama that aired in 2019, and “Hostiles,” a 2017 Western film starring Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale. She currently serves as a consulting producer for "NCIS: Origins" on CBS and also is co-directing an upcoming documentary project.
The 68 Peabody Award nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 27 jurors from more than 1,000 entries across television, podcasts/radio and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive/immersive programming and media.
Winners of the 85th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on May 1, with a ceremony hosted by comedian and actor Roy Wood Jr. to be held on June 1 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
Established in 1940 by the National Association of Broadcasters, the Peabody Award was created to honor excellence in radio broadcasting as the industry’s equivalent to the Pulitzer Prizes. It was later expanded to include television and then to new media including podcasts and streaming.
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