An eight-week, half-hour television series produced by students in Conestoga’s Broadcast Television program has been awarded first place in the "Series Production" category from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada (BEAC). This is the second time the series has won the award in the past three years.
Conestoga Connected was ranked by judges above all other student productions from colleges and universities across the country. "The quality of the students that come out of our programs keeps getting better every year," said BEAC judging coordinator Claude Gariepy.
The award will be presented at the BEAC National Conference Students Awards Gala in Niagara-on-the-Lake on May 23. The senior student producers are second-year students Adrian Baker, Adam Nguyen and Robelle Meereboer; the show’s host is second-year student Danielle Browne and the show’s senior editor is second-year student Ryan Propper.
“The opportunity to be a videographer and the main host has really been an incredible learning experience,” said Browne. “With the continued support and encouragement of my professors, I've been able to develop and excel in all areas of television production.”
According to Professor Rachelle Cooper, executive producer of Conestoga Connected, the series began as a project in the Writer-Producer specialization course six years ago. Initially a web broadcast, the program is now shown on Rogers TV several times each week across Southwestern Ontario. It involves collaboration between students in the Electronic News Gathering-Videographer and Writer-Producer specializations of the two-year Broadcast Television diploma program.
“I think the project has been so successful because it’s such a collaborative effort that enables students draw from their different strengths…from performing on camera to graphics creation, to chasing the booking guests and composing great shots,” said Cooper.
All eight Conestoga Connected episodes can be seen online at conestogaconnected.ca or on Rogers TV on Mondays at 2 p.m., Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Conestoga’s two-year Broadcast-Television diploma program provides students with the skills to compete in today's video production marketplace and create broadcast-quality product backed by engaging storytelling. There are still spaces available for Fall 2014 entry. For more information or to apply, visit the Conestoga website.