Former Nickelodeon Star Vanessa Braden Kelly Wins Outstanding Lead Actress At 46th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, “Giants” Breaks Record With 11 Nominations

The hit YouTube series “Giants” has lovingly swept the nation as well as this year’s 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, with actress nickelodeon baller alert Baden-Kelly and actor Terrence Terrell taking home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.

Giants was nominated for a whopping 11 Emmys! The show, which made its debut on Issa Rae’s YouTube channel back in 2017, follows the stories of Black millennials who are navigating through life while juggling their personal lives, careers, and relationships. The show is executive produced by the non-profit organization Leaders Up, Empire star Jussie Smollett, and its creator, filmmaker James Bland. Bland also stars as the lead actor “Malachi.” CJ Faison and Takara Joseph also serve as producers.

“When I created this show, I was struggling with my identity and how I wanted to show up in the world, and my Mom told me that God could do more with an honest heart. So I decided to tell the truth to myself first and then to the world through the stories of three millennials of color struggling to make sense of their sexuality, mental health, and purpose,” Bland, who created the series, told The Root. “Our motto in the writers’ room was to tell the truth, and that truth set us free to be vulnerable and authentic.”

Terrell, who plays “Kwasi” in the show, says this win is bigger than him. “I feel honored and beyond blessed to be acknowledged in this light. This win is bigger than me,” Terrell told The Root. “This is for all those babies in those small towns who have a dream and don’t know how or what to do to achieve them. Push past anything that gets in your way and when that door cracks open to your destiny, kick it down! Never give up on your dreams.”

In addition to the show’s 11 nominations, the series also broke the record for having the most pre-nominations of any digital soap. Prior to the official announcement of Emmy nominations, the show originally was up for nine. The 11 nominations also broke the record for the most received by any digital drama, as well as the fifth most nominations of any program this year. Kelly is well-known for her career in acting. As a child actor, she worked on several projects, including Nickelodeon’s hit shows “Gullah Gullah Island” and “Kenan & Kel.”