“When one door closes, another one opens,” an idiom originally coined in the 16th century by Fernando de Rojas, perfectly describes the experience of Emmy Award winner and Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) alumna Allyssa Jaynes.

Jaynes started attending OCCC in 2014 and originally was interested in a career in special effects and cosmetology for film and theater. Four years later, she found her calling behind the camera, switching her major to digital cinema production (DCP) at OCCC.

While working to obtain her degree, Jaynes applied for OCCC’s DCP internship program and, with the help of DCP Professor Greg Mellott, she began interning at the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA).

The internship required her to complete 16 weeks, a full semester. However, she soon found the time went by much faster than anticipated.

“I had so much fun that I finished the hours early and ended up exceeding the required hours — I completed my internship without realizing it,” she said.

After her internship ended, Jaynes accepted a job as a news videographer with OETA, where she focused on perfecting her skills.

“Allyssa’s creativity behind the camera and her great work ethic make her a success at OETA, not only for her work with the documentary department as an intern but now as a news videographer in our news department,” said Susan Cadot, vice president of production at OETA.

Toward the end of her internship, OETA partnered with PBS for the ninth episode of “Gallery America” to film the story of a one-woman show, “The Deonna Marie Experience.”

The year after its release, the film was nominated for a Heartland Emmy award in the 2024 Short Form Content (under 15 minutes) category. “The Deonna Marie Experience” won the Emmy.

When Jaynes received emails from Cadot and the Heartland Emmys, she was surprised.

“I had no idea they would use anything I had filmed,” she said. “I was amazed that they were going to include me at all! It was like a dream come true.”

Mellott said, “What makes this so cool is Allyssa just graduated and won this working at OETA, and she thanked us all on the night she won the Emmy.”

Mellot has worked with students at OCCC for 18 years and has won several awards — including an Emmy — for the numerous films he has worked on in Hollywood and Asia. He said that, at OCCC, “we help build skills and hope to build strength of spirit, work ethic, faith in oneself, and teamwork to build your dreams and life.”

“After nearly a decade in school, I can confidently say that the OCCC DCP program made it all worthwhile,” Jaynes said. “I believe that when someone has a passion, OCCC can help ignite that flame and guide it to flourish. Students can create lasting memories and connections in the DCP program.”