SOTR + Tellys Wins

Emergent Media, in Partnership with Toyota and SiriusXM, Wins Gold and Silver Telly Awards for “Sounds of the Road” Season 6

The artist-led branded content series earned top honors for its platform-native approach to music, travel, and automotive storytelling

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“Sounds of the Road,” a premium branded content series produced by Emergent Media in partnership with Toyota, SiriusXM, and Saatchi, has been recognized with Gold and Silver Telly Awards. The honors—a 2026 Gold Telly Award for Best Branded Content, Culture & Lifestyle, and a 2026 Silver Telly Award for Brand Collaboration, Creator/Celebrity/Influencer—recognize the campaign's creative excellence in branded content and social media storytelling.

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Now in its sixth season, “Sounds of the Road” pairs emerging and established musical artists with Toyota vehicles for destination-driven journeys—capturing not just where they go, but how music shapes the experience along the way. Season 6 marked a significant creative evolution for the franchise, shifting from polished docu-style storytelling to a fully platform-native approach: artists became active co-creators, inviting audiences directly into the journey alongside them. Custom assets were built from the ground up for TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories, and YouTube, each designed to perform natively on each platform rather than adapted from long-form content.

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The season featured three artists across three cities: The War & Treaty in Austin, TX, filmed at the iconic Antone's; Joy Oladokun in Los Angeles at the SiriusXM Studio; and Latin Grammy winner Ela Taubert live at Chicago's Sueños Music Festival at the Toyota Music Den. Ela Taubert's segment marked a first for the franchise: the series' first Latin artist, who recorded her interview in Spanish, enabling Toyota's first all-Spanish “Sounds of the Road” launch on Toyota.com Español. 

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"Brands that show up authentically in culture, through creators and content people actually want to watch, are the ones earning attention right now,” says Jen Klawin, Chief Business Officer at Emergent Media. “When you design for the platform from the ground up and give artists real creative ownership, audiences feel the difference and the results speak for themselves. Winning Gold and Silver Telly Awards for “Sounds of the Road” reinforces what we believe and what we're seeing across every campaign we run at Emergent: Social-first, creator-led storytelling isn't a trend. It's where brand marketing lives now."

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“Sounds of the Road” is featured on Toyota.com, Toyota Español , and YouTube, as well as Emergent Media’s Paradise channel. Media distribution includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The season generated over 100M+ impressions and a measurable lift in Toyota's “innovative” brand attribute among exposed audiences, with alumni counting three Grammy wins and an Oscar nomination.

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