PBS series featuring Financial Partners Credit Union wins prestigious Telly Award

From left to right: Jamie Strayer, Executive Producer; Louis Barajas, financial coach; Ana Flores, FPCU Member Service Officer; Fiona and James Emely, FPCU members featured on the show; Nader Moghaddam, President and CEO of FPCU; Director Brian Spoor.

DOWNEY — “Opportunity Knock$,” the groundbreaking reality television series broadcast by PBS stations nationally and locally on KCET, has been honored with the prestigious Silver Telly Award for Best Reality Television Program in the 44th Annual Telly Awards.

The Telly Awards recognizes excellence in media. Opportunity Knock$ stood out among fierce competition, captivating audiences with its compelling storytelling and transformative content.

"We are delighted to be part of a program that makes a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives," said Nader Moghaddam, President and CEO of Financial Partners. “Financial education and wellness is a cornerstone of our commitment to building vibrant communities. We are proud to be a part of Opportunity Knock$ and show how credit unions offer real solutions that transform people’s lives for the better.”

“Opportunity Knock$” offers a fresh and innovative approach to reality television, focusing on empowering individuals to pursue their dreams and showcasing how viewers can join them on their remarkable journeys. The program’s companion tool, The Opportunity Finder, connects viewers with local nonprofits like the United Way along with Community Development Certified Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and not-for-profit credit unions like Financial Partners to replicate the success of the families in the series.

Hollywood residents James and Fiona Emley achieved their dream of consolidating their high interest debt through the series. With direction and support from Financial Partners’ personal banking officer Ana Fuentes, the Emley’s were able to save more than $1,000 per month by eliminating the high interest loans they had opened to pay for fertility treatments and consolidating them into a single low interest loan from Financial Partners.

Directed by veteran reality television producer Brian Spoor who executive produced the series with creator Jamie Strayer and Jenn George Hunter, Opportunity Knock$ features renowned financial experts Jean Chatzky, Louis Barajas, and Patrice Washington along with Financial Partners’ Ana Fuentes.

“A national search of remarkable nonprofits and not-for-profit credit unions led us to select Financial Partners to appear in the series,” said Strayer. “It was inspiring to see the impact Financial Partners is making in California and to share that with a national audience.”

The Silver Telly Award adds to Opportunity Knock$' growing list of accolades, cementing its position as a trailblazer in the reality television genre. The program is praised by the National Financial Counseling Association of America and called the “Ted Lasso of Reality Television” on Rotten Tomatoes where it holds a 100% audience score.