Ben Yonker, Producer and Director for Ball State University Media Services, recently won an Emmy for his production of Sunny Days: Meet the Founding Mothers of Ball State PBS. Yonker was in the industry long before he graduated from college and has been a part of several productions. Yonker and other members of Ball State University Media Services produced a documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of what is now Ball State PBS.  

The film focuses on the beginnings of PBS. PBS in Muncie started with a small group of women with young children who simply wanted access to Sesame Street for their kids. The small group of women fought tirelessly to bring awareness and support for the PBS station and successfully achieved their goal. 

Yonker was able to meet the small group of women who raised awareness for the PBS station. 

“That’s actually one of the most rewarding things about working in film and television,” he said. “You get to meet interesting people and be exposed to the things they’re passionate about, and most of the time those are things you wouldn’t normally get to experience yourself.”  

When asked about his experience as an Emmy award winner, Yonker said he was not anticipating the win at all. In fact, Yonker was attending a concert. 

“I chose not to attend the awards ceremony this year since it was out of town on Father’s Day weekend. I was at a concert in Indy that evening and I received a congratulatory text from a friend — that’s how I found out I had won,” he said. “Honestly, I didn’t mind missing out since I hate giving speeches! So, it turned out to be a pretty nice night!”  

Ever since Yonker’s big win, he says nothing has changed.  

“We have such a great program here at Ball State with so many talented people. Because of that, Emmy nominations are common, and wins are not unusual. So aside from people stopping by to offer their congratulations, not much has changed.” 

Yonker humbly accepted his award and has since then brought awareness to Muncie’s PBS station on campus. If you ever run into the Emmy award winner, be sure to say congratulations!