Taylor Hajash, a lifelong video game fan, has become a licensed Nintendo game developer partly due to an award he received in an SPC competition.

The path to the license began when Taylor, 25, a student in the Digital Media program, bought a tablet for his girlfriend, Chelsie.

“She was always playing these games she’d purchase and would then get annoyed when, after playing for 15 minutes, she’d have to spend a bunch of money to buy coins or extra lives if she wanted to keep playing,” he said. “I thought that was ridiculous. So I started looking into how to make my own games that she could play.”

As his game began to take shape, he applied to be a licensed Nintendo game developer. Several months and several contacts later, he had no response from the corporate gaming giant.

Then, on April 22, he competed in the 2014 SEmmy Awards, an annual competition open to all SPC and high school students. After winning the award for Best Video Game Creation category for his game Super Cuttlefeesh, a puzzle platform game for cell phones and tablets, he sent pictures of the award and screenshots of his game to Nintendo.

Within eight hours, Taylor received a phone call from Nintendo’s Indie Development Representative. The representative approved him over the phone to become a licensed game designer for the company.

Taylor said winning the award help open the doors with Nintendo.

“I think I wasn’t high on their priority list and that’s why I wasn’t hearing back from them,” he said. “But as soon as they found out I won an award, they jumped on the opportunity to bring me aboard.”

He has been funding the project himself but is working to get funding for further development.

“Between software, computers, hardware, music and stuff like that, I’ve spent about $15,000 of my own money so far,” Taylor said.

“My biggest hurdle is now behind me,” he said. “I’m hoping to have Super Cuttlefeesh out on the Wii U by the end of summer and start development on my second game shortly after.”

The complete list of SEmmy winners:

Best Website Design
Marina Rambo- “Marina Rambo Web and Graphic Design”
Best Video Game Creation
Taylor Hajash- “Super CuttleFeesh”
Best Editing
Ali Shahriari, Christian Costello, Zack Murray-“ Nuthing’ But Crunch-Doritos Commercial”
Best Camera
Fillipe Bergson- “Hunger”
Best Direction
Ali Shahriari, Christian Costello- “Coming Up Short”
Best Digital Graphics
Heather Rambo, “Painting with a Twist” Brochure
Best Digital Imaging
Scott Dunn-“Swiss Watch”
Best Song
Ryan Blank “Same Things”
Best Thematic Composition for Film or Game
Steven Scott Berry (ft. Doug Leto) “Hype”
Best Interactive Music/Sound “Zone” Design
Dylan Mixer “Kaja”
Best Internet Media-High School
Charles Lambert-“Video Game Hobby “- Dixie M. Hollins
Best Video Production-High School
Michael Stover, Karolina Zuchowski, Marta Wilczynsk- “Masked”- Shorecrest Preparatory School
Best Digital Graphic Design-High School
Elaine Page, “The Fuze Campaign”- Dixie M. Hollins
Chelsea Mcmanus, “Wizard of Oz Diptych” – Dixie M. Hollins
Dylan Maczis, “The Mirror”- Dixie M. Hollins