George Mason University’s GMU-TV was awarded six Tellys this year—two Golds, two Silvers, and two Bronzes—for excellence in the nonbroadcast/educational institution category for videos promoting the university’s research endeavors and programs. This is the most awards Mason’s television studio has won in one year.
Three of the awards went to Mason Research videos, which are part of a series GMU-TV created in collaboration with the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Impact and the schools/colleges.
“We are very excited to be brought in to partner on the research videos and are very happy with how they turned out,” said Richard Wood, general manager and executive producer of GMU-TV. “This kind of collaboration is a perfect fit. There are so many brilliant and talented people at Mason making real impact on our world, the opportunity to share their story to a wider audience is a privilege.”
A variety of GMU-TV staffers worked on the videos.
“Often we assign a lead producer and then other staff members serve as crew and in various roles from director of photography to editor,” said Wood, who has a BA in communication from Mason.
“The Mason Impact,” one of the videos winning a Gold Telly, was created by GMU-TV for the 2019 New Student Convocation in collaboration with the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). The team working on this video was Mike Kurec, Wood, Stacey Rathbun, Andy Riddle, and Jessica Riddle.
Also receiving a Gold Telly was “Concussion Biomarkers,” which is one of a series of videos that GMU-TV created for the Mason Research series. This video focuses on the work of Mason researchers Emanuel “Chip” Petricoin and Shane Caswell on diagnosing and monitoring concussions. Kurec, Wood, and Rathbun worked on this project.
Winner of a Silver Telly was another video in the Mason Research series, “The Enslaved Peoples of George Mason,” which focuses on the historical research being conducted by Mason students on the men, women and children enslaved at Gunston Hall. Wood, Rathbun, and Mike Aitken worked on this video.
A profile of Mason chemistry major Mosufa Zainab, “Mosufa: Fighting Superbugs,” also won a Silver Telly. Zainab, an OSCAR undergraduate researcher who was also featured in the "The Mason Impact” video, discusses how her experiences in her native Pakistan drive her research into better antibiotics. It was produced by the same team as “The Mason Impact” video.
Another video in the Mason Research series, “Prosthetics Research,” won a Bronze Telly. This video focuses on the work being done by Mason bioengineering professor Siddhartha Sikdar and his team at the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions to improve the function and quality of life of individuals with physical and psychosocial disabilities. Kurec worked on this video with Gloriana Wills.
“The Education Leadership Program,” a student recruitment video for the graduate program in the College of Education and Human Development, also won a Bronze Telly. The team on this project was Wills, Andy Riddle and Jessica Riddle.
“At its core, video is a storytelling medium and because of its ability to engage with an audience, video allows us to effectively communicate the implications of a Mason researcher's work well beyond the world of academia,” said Wood. “It also allows our team at GMU-TV to flex their creativity muscles while getting unfettered access to some of Mason’s greatest minds.”
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honors video and television made for all screens and is judged by the Telly Award Judging Council; a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising, and emerging technology.