North Hollywood, CA, April 12, 2010 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation hosted its 31st College Television Awards this weekend to honor the best work in video, digital production and film production by undergraduate and graduate students from around the country. Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars”) hosted the event for the fourth consecutive year and awards were presented by some of television’s hottest stars. For a complete list of the night’s winners, visit http://www.emmysfoundation.org/cta-winners.
“A number of College Television Award winners go on to have successful careers in the industry and have even become Primetime Emmy® Award winners,” said Television Academy Foundation Executive Director Terri Clark. “This accomplishment is only the beginning for many of this year’s talented student producers.”
The University of Southern California picked up a grand total of six College Television Awards, while Brigham Young University took home four awards and three awards each went to the University of California, Berkeley and Chapman University. Honors were also given to students from a variety of schools, including California State University, Northridge; Florida State University Film School; Art Center College of Design; City College of New York; University of Cincinnati; University of Toledo and several others.
First place winners were awarded $2,000, second place winners took home $1,000 and third place winners received $500. In addition to a cash prize, selected winners receive invaluable career building opportunities, including an invitation to pitch their piece to a development executive and a chance to meet with an entertainment industry mentor. A selection of winning pieces will also be featured on mtvU’s Best Film On Campus.
The first-ever Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarships went to Chapman University’s Rhianon Guitierrez for her film “When I’m not Alone” and Haley Lesavoy from George Washington University for her piece titled, “Opening Doors & Minds: Celebrating 20 Years of the ADA.” The $10,000 scholarships were presented by producer/philanthropist/Disability Rights Activist Loreen Arbus, (the first woman in America to head up programming at a major network) and Robert David Hall (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”) in a joint presentation.
The $4,000 Seymour Bricker Family Humanitarian Award was presented to Gregg Helvey from the University of Southern California for his work on “Kavi,” an Oscar-nominated fictional short film that exposes the harsh reality of “bonded labor,” a form of modern slavery.
This year’s Directing Award went to Nathan Lee of Brigham Young University for his work on “Inspector 42” a 1950s piece in which a shirt safety inspector lets out several unsafe shirts.
Awards were presented by stars from some of the biggest hits on television, including Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”), Hill Harper (“CSI: NY”), Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”), Busy Philipps (“Cougar Town”) and many more. Choreographer Adam Shankman (“So You Think You Can Dance” presented the Philanthropy Award to producer Nigel Lythgoe (“American Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance”) for his work with the tremendously successful “Idol Gives Back” and the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which increases access to dance education in the United States to underprivileged young people.
This year, more than 600 students from 158 schools across 38 states entered the competition. Winners’ work was showcased at a special screening hosted by Kevin Frazier (“Entertainment Tonight”) on Sunday April 11th at the Television Academy’s Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre.
The College Television Awards honored work in 11 categories. The following is a list of the evening’s first place winners in each category:
Animation: “Hook, Line and Stinker,” Ross Bolinger, School of Visual Arts
Children’s: “Turbo,” Garrett T. Thompson, Jarrett Lee Conaway, University of Southern California, and Rachel G. Blaven, California State University, Northridge
Comedy: “Zombo,” Jeff Hersh, Nicolaas Bertelsen, University of Southern California
Commercial: “Trigger Happy,” Saman Keshavarz, Y-C Tom Lee, Romson Niega, Francis Pollara, Art Center College of Design
Documentary: “Rediscovering Pape,” Maria Royo, City College of New York
Drama: “Inspector 42,” Lyvia Alaida Martinez, Brigham Young University
Magazine: Impact Show 45,” Kim Daniels, Cristina Bishai, Deidre Crawford, Maritza Navarro, Esther Pomeroy, University of Southern California
Music, Best Composition: “Mashed,” Richard Tsutomu Williams, Brigham Young University
Music, Best Use: “Today,” Dustin Owen Chow, Steven Shaefer, University of Cincinnati
Narrative Series: “Limelight,” Skylar R. Andrews, Jason D. Struss, Shirlyn Cesar, Syracuse University
Newscast: “UT: 10 News,” Philipp Levering, Ashley Roth, University of Toledo
For more information, including a complete list of the night’s winners, visit http://www.emmysfoundation.org/cta-winners.
About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation preserves and celebrates the history of the medium while educating and guiding those who will shape its future. Prominent among its many initiatives are the Archive of American Television, education programs such as the College Television Awards and its renowned student internship program, all of which utilize the resources of the Television Academy. For more information about the Foundation, its many programs and services, please visit emmysfoundation.org.
