Congratulations to the SUNY New Paltz Digital Media Production students for their multiple wins at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts! Nearly every year for the past 23 years, SUNY New Paltz has earned awards through BEA. This year, thousands of entries were submitted from across the country. New Paltz won 3, when only 10% of entries were honored this year.
Congratulations to Gabriella Gagliano, Matthew Walsh, Carlin Feck, Lindsay Feldherr & Stephen Jeong (all class of ’24) for the Student Documentary Award of Excellence (Produced Spring 2024), given to them for their documentary “Escape the Vape!” This documentary follows two New Paltz students who attempt to quit nicotine for 30 days, with interviews from the Truth Campaign, New York Legislators, demonstrating the perils and difficulties of nicotine addiction.
Congratulations to Fiona Seabrook (’25), Maeve Degan (’24) & Tristan O’Regan (’24) for the Student Documentary Award of Excellence (Produced Fall 2024), given to them for their documentary “Saving Sinterklaas.” This documentary dives behind the scenes of the Sinterklaas Parade in Rhinebeck, New York, uncovering the dwindling funding and volunteer shortage difficulties facing the beloved parade, showcasing the resilience at the core of those working to preserve the tradition for generations to come.
Congratulations to Lena “Eden” Burch (’26), Peter Cricchio (’25), Dan Labbato (’25) & Matthew Mingoia (’25) for the Student Narrative Award of Excellence (Produced Fall 2024), given to them for their film “Liberty.” The thriller short film takes place during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, when the parade is suddenly interrupted by a government-issued Emergency Broadcast Announcement, inspired by and based on “Contingency” by Local58 TV.
The links are currently not available as the films are working their way through the festival circuit. Once more, congratulations to these hardworking students!
From the BEA website:
The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is the premier international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students, and professionals. The association’s publications, annual convention, web-based programs, and regional district activities provide opportunities for juried production competition and presentation of current scholarly research related to aspects of the electronic media. These areas include media audiences, economics, law and policy, regulation, news, management, aesthetics, social effects, history, and criticism, among others. BEA is concerned with electronic media curricula, placing an emphasis on interactions among the purposes, developments, and practices of the industry and imparting this information to future professionals. BEA serves as a forum for exposition, analysis and debate of issues of social importance to develop members’ awareness and sensitivity to these issues and to their ramifications, which will ultimately help students develop as more thoughtful practitioners.