TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Although Killian Gilroy lives and work in Winter Park, Fla., he still talks like a township kid.
The 2018 Westwood Regional High School graduate, a township native whose family has lived on Woodfield Road for more than two decades, has earned his third Emmy Award, a December 2025 win for “Saltwater Cowboys,” a magazine program series that follows the everyday lives of Florida fishermen.
“I love coming home,” Gilroy said in a recent interview with Pascack Press. “There’s nothing like that small-town living.”
Gilroy said he returns to Bergen County whenever he can, especially around the holidays, and still keeps close ties in the area. “I have a lot of friends — and still the same friends — and obviously all the memories that I’ve made in high school,” he said.
The latest Emmy adds to wins in 2023 and 2024, giving Gilroy three awards in three years — a remarkable run for a young filmmaker still early in his career.
“It’s very rewarding, especially seeing my name in the credits of the shows I work on,” he said. “But to have something physical on display is amazing. And now that I have three Emmys, it’s an incredible motivator to get out and do more.”
Gilroy credits his parents, Chris and Mike Gilroy, as constant supporters — and said they’ve attended all three Emmy ceremonies.
“They’ve honestly pushed me to go and join me,” he said. They’re among his biggest fans, naturally. In the run-up to the third ceremony, “They said if I don’t go… they’re going without me.”
His grandmother — another beaming supporter — lives in Lyndhurst, he said.
From local libraries to making his own movies
When asked what helped spark and sustain his love of film, Gilroy surprised himself with his answer: the library. He said he and his twin brother, Kyler, used to ride their bikes to the public library in the township and visit Westwood’s, borrowing stacks of DVDs — sometimes 12 movies a week — trying to meet the seven-day return deadline.
“That accessibility really made me appreciate there are a million bajillion movies out there,” he said. “It’s really nice to be able to enjoy them, be inspired by them — and hopefully for myself, be able to make one.”
In high school, he and friends started filming on phones and holding what he described as their own mini film festival. “That was my real experience,” he said. “Making something is the best way to learn and to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. There’s no better tool than to mess up and try it again.”
Florida-based career, Jersey state of mind
Gilroy attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, earning a bachelor’s degree in film — and said the program helped him understand how collaborative the work really is, and how essential it is to trust other departments on set.
“You have to rally the troops,” he said. “You trust the camera department, the grips and gaffers — you can’t do everything yourself. You focus on telling the story and making it work.”
After graduating during the COVID era, Gilroy briefly returned home to the Township, working at RiteAid in the town center mall before heading back to Florida in 2021.
He has been based in Winter Park since, near the school and the industry contacts that launched his career.
Third Emmy: ‘Saltwater Cowboys’
Gilroy’s newest Emmy came for “Saltwater Cowboys,” filmed on working boats along both Florida’s Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean. He worked as a key production assistant, DIT (digital imaging technician), and post-production supervisor, supporting the series both on location and in the editing workflow.
“We were highlighting the different kinds of fishermen,” he said, from those targeting red snapper to those pulling crab traps all day.
He said the work reminded him of a theme that runs through many of the projects he’s been part of: telling the stories of people whose labor keeps everything moving — whether it’s fishermen at sea or environmental workers protecting the state’s remaining wild places.
“Nobody thinks when they go to the store, ‘Who caught this?’” he said. “Of course you want the freshest catch, but you don’t think about all the work that went into getting this one fish.”
It was unforgettable work — and at times, brutal. “One filming day, the waves were extremely choppy and I got so seasick I puked,” he said, laughing. “I’m a filmmaker, not a charter fisherman after all.”
Earlier wins: yards and wildlife
Gilroy earned his first Emmy in 2023 for “Flip My Florida Yard,” where he served as a key production assistant and supported the editing department — a job that required doing a little of everything to keep production on track.
“I took behind-the-scenes photos, social media videos, carried C-stands, retrieved lenses for the camera crew, set up lunch, dumped media… anything that helped move production forward,” he said.
In 2024, he won again for “Protect Our Paradise,” a six-part documentary series focused on preserving Florida’s natural ecosystem. Gilroy worked as an assistant editor and production assistant, traveling the state from Tallahassee to the Keys to spotlight what he called “unsung heroes” protecting the environment.
His favorite day of that production involved a manatee release featured in the episode “Our Wildlife.”
“That production day was very special to me because I love manatees,” he said. “Getting to see one who was ready for release after being rehabilitated at SeaWorld was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Catch my drone shots throughout the segment!”
Still a movie guy
For Gilroy, the work isn’t just a job — it’s an art and craft he loves. He said he goes to the movies often — sometimes a couple times a week — and talks films endlessly with friends.
“It’s an event for me,” he said, adding that he enjoys hearing other people’s takes and debating what a movie is “really saying.”
He laughed that he sometimes meets people on set who don’t even watch movies — a detail that still baffles him.
“I feel like you need that passion,” he said. “That’s what drives me to work harder and make it better.”
Gilroy said his own rule of thumb has stayed the same since his earliest jobs.
“Half of getting the job or retaining the job is doing the job and being good at the job,” he said. “But the other half is the passion for film, the love for working with other people, the need for getting it done — and doing what it takes.”
Like many young filmmakers, Gilroy said he still hopes to land a marquee feature someday. “I always wanted to work on a Marvel movie or something with a big celebrity,” he said. “It’s still a major goal of mine.”
He laughed when the conversation briefly detoured into “Barry” (HBO, 2018–2023) — Bill Hader’s dark Hollywood satire about a hitman trying to reinvent himself through acting — and said he recognizes how people often want a single famous credit, even though steady work is what actually builds a career.
“Quite honestly,” he added, looking back on his three Emmy wins, “I feel like I’m doing pretty well.”
Where to watch
Gilroy said episodes of “Flip My Florida Yard,” “Protect Our Paradise,” and “Saltwater Cowboys” can be found on the Discover Florida Channel on YouTube.