Jillian O'Neil won four Telly awards for two commercials her production company made on Glade Run Lake.

MIDDLESEX TWP — Many people who grew up in the southern part of Butler County have visited Glade Run Lake in recent years to relive a childhood memory of fishing with a beloved relative only to be disappointed to discover the lake has been drained.

For one former resident, that recollection resulted in not only a great help for the group trying to restore the lake, but in a major award.

Jillian O’Neil, a 1992 Mars High School graduate and owner of Wright Road Productions in Gibsonia, won four Telly Awards for two commercials she directed at the lake property.

O’Neil won two awards in 2014 for “Bring Back Our Lake,” in the categories of campaign/fundraising and appeals. She won two more this year in the same categories for “Dry Lake Fishing.”

“Glade Run Lake has always been so important to myself and my entire family through many generations,” O’Neil said. “I was taught as a child how to fish at the lake from my dad.”

The lake was drained in 2011 by the state Fish and Boat Commission because its faulty dam was a hazard to properties downstream. The Glade Run Lake Conservancy raised funds and lobbied politicians to get the funding needed to have the dam repaired.

When the lake was drained, the costs to repair the dam was estimated at $4.3 million. But because construction bids came in significantly under that amount, the cost to repair the dam will be about $3 million.

The reduced cost means that the $300,000 raised by the conservancy can be used for other projects at the lake, like fish habitats.

The Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films.

“Bring Back Our Lake” features a grandfather and grandson who arrive at the lake in their angler’s gear and head for the lake carrying a tackle box and fishing poles. As they approach the lake, their anticipation of a fun day is foiled upon the sight of the dry lake.

The grandfather is played by O’Neil’s father, Robert Pergl. The boy is played by Luke Henderson.

“Dry Lake Fishing” depicts a fishing contest in the lake, complete with canoes and kayaks placed on the weedy and muddy lake bed.

“Everyone came out in their fishing gear and brought their boats,” O’Neil said. “It was the best day.”

The commercials were played in movie theaters and on cable TV stations.

Siggy Pehel, president of the Glade Run conservancy, said the commercials caused a spike in membership in the group.

“Our partnership with Jillian O’Neil has been very productive for us, and it helped give her a little exposure too,” Pehel said.

He said O’Neil also had a fundraising event for the conservancy.

“She’s helped us immensely in any way she could, and we’re very appreciative of her efforts,” Pehel said.

O’Neil is thrilled with the Tellys, which are the first for her company.

“I am completely honored,” O’Neil said. “You never know when you complete something how it will be received, and that it’s tied to the Glade Run Lake project means everything to me.”