Students in Niagara College’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program were the stars at the 2018 Broadcast Educators Association of Canada awards, taking home awards for class projects in several categories, from music videos to podcasts.
A team of students led by Chris Henry, Andrew Dickhout and Emily Ritson were awarded Best Music Video, for their project, Do It Forever. The music video made use of the three years of hands-on learning in all aspects of the broadcast industry the students acquired through the program.
“Everything we’ve used in the past three years came together in the final project. Each little thing we learned came in handy,” said Ritson, who served as director, writer and editor.
The team said a factor in their success was the proper use of each team member’s particular set of talents. “After three years of figuring out what we were good at we put that to use in this project and everyone was doing a job that highlighted their skillset,” said Ritson.
Production photo from the set of ‘Do It Forever,’ winner of the BEAC Best Music Video award
“If it wasn’t for our whole crew, this project would not have been possible,” added producer Chris Henry. “We all had our skills sets, but we also excelled in different areas.”
“Winning a national award was definitely very humbling and we were very honoured to be recognized for our dedication and strong enthusiasm for our work for the past three years,” said Henry.
Other team members included Sebastian Voth, Evan Leonard, Justin Friskie, Tyler Cristiano, Lucy Silversides, Taylor Whalen, and Noah Mulder. Watch the video here.
Jessica Dixon won for Best Podcast/Current Affairs Show, for This Week in Niagara – Indigenous Issues. Dixon chose to focus her podcast on Indigenous issues to address a lack of awareness of the inter-generational trauma caused by residential schools on Indigenous communities, and wanted to give a voice to those experiencing those issues. “The guests whom we were able to interview were so genuine in their personal reflections,” said Dixon.
Dixon also credited the team she worked with, including Samantha Schnick, Jalen Pichekniuk, and Michael Frena, for the success of the project. “My team had the ability to keep calm under pressure, and paired with my ability to edit, write, and keep everyone on the same page, we knocked it out of the park.”
Dixon’s show also nabbed the President’s Award for Audio, marking the top submission of all the audio categories. Listen here.
Sara Meshmesh, program director for CRNC The Heat, won in the Radio Newscast category. Meshmesh, originally from Gilbert, Arizona, now uses the newscast as a demo to show off her skills in the broadcasting world. It has already helped her secure a job at a radio station.
“It feels amazing to be recognized on a national level for something that I am so passionate about. I fell in love with telling the news in my first semester in the Broadcasting program,” said Meshmesh. “I’ve come to realize that my ultimate career goal is news anchoring and winning this award really makes it feel like my dream can be achieved.” Listen to her newscast here.
Sebastian Voth, Chris Henry and Brenden McAuley also finished runner-up in the Drama or Comedy Long category for their short film, Wake Up.
Production photo from ‘Wake Up,’ which finished runner-up in the Drama or Comedy Long category
“It’s with humble pride that I wish these remarkable NC students a heartfelt congratulations on their wins. They put blood sweat and tears into their projects and the result is that they’ve been recognized at a national level,” said Luke Hutton, professor of film productions.
“It’s a real testament to the dedication of our students, seeing them win a significant number of BEAC Awards year after year,” added BRTF professor Bruce Gilbert.
The Broadcast Educators Association of Canada is a national organization dedicated to promoting excellence in Media Education and assisting faculty and staff of Canadian Colleges and Universities. The National Student Awards Program recognizes and rewards the unique combination of creativity and technical excellence demonstrated by students in radio, television/video, and new media taught in BEAC member institutions.
