Loras College media studies students earned seventeen awards over eleven categories in the Iowa College Media Association (ICMA) Awards on Thursday, February 17, including Outstanding Video Excellence for the 13th consecutive year.
Loras students won more awards than any other college or university in Iowa. In total, nineteen Loras students earned awards for their work in various formats, including news broadcasts, documentaries and short films.
“I am especially impressed by the achievements of this group of students, in part because the bulk of the media content they’ve produced has been throughout the limitations of the pandemic. Our students have adapted to developing their skills, bringing an ingenuity that exceeds the traditional methods of creating media content,” Jill Specht, coordinator of media operations, said.
The Outstanding Video Excellence award is the highest recognition the ICMA can confer upon any of Iowa’s college and university television/video programs.
“The awards are simply a testament to the commitment, talent, and drive of our students to produce high-end, creative work,” Craig Schaefer (’89), professor of media studies, said. “They love the creative challenge and it’s certainly exciting when they are recognized, but the bigger picture is that their success follows their hard work. It follows their long hours of re-writing their script or filming on location or editing in the lab. So, when that all pays off, it’s a pretty incredible feeling for them and certainly a validation of their effort.”
The ICMA includes seventeen colleges and universities in Iowa committed to excellence in media education. It’s open to all students, faculty, staff and advisors involved in higher education.
“The diversity of categories that student excelled in also displays and celebrates the culture of the Loras College Media Studies program,” Seth Myers, M.F.A., associate professor of media studies, said. “The program fosters an environment of visual exploration and collaboration. We have a student-centered teaching philosophy that puts emphasis on the individuality of each student to reach their full potential creatively and personally. The students are at the center of it all and they continue to impress media professionals outside of Loras, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Here is a complete list of winners:
Overall Video Excellence Award
LCTV
Best Video News Programming
1st Place – Loras College (LCTV) Decision 2020 Election show: Hope Ehling (’22), Jake Heelein (’22), Audra McMahon (’22), Morgan Schueller (’23), LCTV News Reporters
Best Video Newscast
1st Place – Loras College (LCTV) SportsZONE: Josh Payan (’23), Olivia DeVriese (’24), EJ Greenberg (’23), SportsZONE Reporting Staff
2nd Place – Loras College (LCTV) LCTV News: Ehling, Marion Edwards (’23), Grace Henrich (’23), LCTV News Reporting Staff
Best News, Public Affairs, or Sports Storytelling Video Package
2nd Place – Loras College (LCTV) Dubuque County Right to Life March: Henrich
Best Entertainment Video Package
1st Place – Loras College (LCTV) Matty Eats: Convivium Urban Farmstead: Matt Williams (’23), DeVriese, Payan
3rd Place – Loras College (LCTV) LCTV Behind the Curtain: Ehling
Hon. Mention – Loras College (LCTV), UNDISCOVERED: Leelynd: Matty A. Smith (’22)
Best Variety, Music, or Comedy Program
2nd Place – Loras College (LCTV) LCTV Holiday Edition 2020: Ehling, McMahon, Schueller, LCTV Staff
Hon. Mention – Loras College (LCTV), Creator’s Corner: Ehling, Edwards, Alexis Riesberg (’23), Henrich, Payan, Media Studies 293 class
Best Short Documentary
2nd Place – Loras College – Angel Man: Ehling, McMahon, Schueller
Best Long Form Documentary
1st Place – Loras College – Kenosha: The Shooting of Jacob Blake: Jon Quinn (’21)
Best Experimental Video
1st Place – Loras College – Heaven’s Ranch: Nate Kaiser (’22), Morgan Minear (’21)
2nd Place – Loras College – The Unheard Voice: Khiry Montgomery (’24)
Best Corporate Video
1st Place – Loras College – Cherish the Children: Ehling, Edwards
2nd Place – Loras College – St. Pius X Seminary: Henrich, Smith
Best Short Film
1st Place – Loras College – Penny Road :Chase Guerdet (’23), Randy Guerdet (’23), Andrew Kilburg (’23), Austin Ellis (’23)
