Doug Kass captures top prize at BEA conference

A contingent of faculty, staff and alumni of the School of Communications attended the 2019 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) annual convention and Festival of Media Arts, an event highlighted by Assistant Professor Doug Kass earning the top prize in the festival’s Faculty Film & Video Competition – Commercial or PSA Category.

Kass was recognized for his public service announcement promoting the United Nations AIDS outreach program, which aired internationally during the 2018 World Cup telecasts. The assistant professor teamed with fellow Elon colleagues Mitch Herndon and Clay Stevenson, as well as iMedia graduate Trey Caldwell G’18, to develop three PSAs as part of an UNAIDS campaign.

To see Kass’ PSA video, titled “The Game's Not Over,” click here.

​Kass was not alone in earning recognition from festival judges, with the work of several current Elon students and recent Interactive Media graduates also receiving accolades. The following is a list of recognized individuals, their projects and the categories their work competed in:

Student Interactive Media and Emerging Technologies Competition​

​Website Category
2nd Place: Kyndall DySard G’18, Nick Cook ’15, G’18, Arvanna Smart G’18 and Sarah Donahue G’18 – Haitian Heritage & Friends of Haiti

Multimedia Storytelling Category
3rd Place (tie): Nick Cook ’15, G’18 – “Power of a Wish: An Interactive Report”

Student Film & Video Competition

​​Animation/Experimental/Mixed Category
Award of Excellence: Thomas A. Perry ’19 – The Reel of Thomas Perry

Studio (multi-camera or live-to-tape) Category
Award of Excellence: Elon After Hours, Season 5 Episode 8

Ten communications faculty and staff members attended the Las Vegas conference, with several contributing as panelists and presenters. On hand were Communications Dean Rochelle Ford, Associate Professors Vic Costello, Dan Haygood and Rich Landesberg, Assistant Professors David Bockino, Alex Luchsinger, Kathleen Stansberry and Jessalynn Strauss, Lecturer Hal Vincent, and Director of Multimedia Projects Bryan Baker. Jeff James, chief engineer in Teaching and Learning Technologies, also attended.

The following list highlights the faculty participants and their involvement:

• David Bockino served as a panelist for a session titled “The ESPN Aftershock: How the 2020s Will Change the Sports Media World,” exploring how technology, distribution and other factors are changing the ways sports are viewed and distributed.
• Vic Costello, who served as BEA’s secretary-treasurer, was in attendance and will serve as BEA’s vice president of academic relations for 2019-2020.
• Dean Rochelle Ford co-presented the BEA Leadership Summit, titled “Fault Lines in Communications: Preparing Faculty and Students to Better Communicate in a Multicultural, Diverse World,” and moderated “The Power of TV: Unscripted Storytelling” panel with reality TV innovators Jonathan Murray and David Collins. Ford also served as a panelist for a session titled “Sports Broadcasting Program Showcase,” where participants highlighted their respective sports broadcasting programs including how students, staff and faculty are involved in the process. During the session, Ford shared this promotional video of Elon Sports Vision.
• Dan Haygood presented his paper “‘The Frank Leahy Show’: The Story of How Notre Dame’s Football Coach Became the Model for Today’s Media-Savvy Coaches of Big-Time College Football” during the conference’s Research Division, Open Paper Competition. The paper won first place. He also participated and won the Faculty Research-In-Progress Digital (Poster) Presentation session. His paper was titled “Agenda Setter for Televised College Basketball Production – The Story of Eddie Einhorn’s TVS Television Network.” Additionally, Haygood was the moderator of a panel titled “College Sports Branded Content,” examining the best practices for sports brands and how to best teach necessary skills to students.
• Alex Luchsinger presented his paper titled “The Allure of ISIS: Media Effects on Empathy, Attitudes, and Behavioral Intention” during the conference’s Research Division, Debut Paper Competition. It was awarded first place. 
• Kathleen Stansberry and Jessalynn Strauss were panelists for a session titled “Social Media Metrics: Why They’re Important to Broadcast and Film Students, and How to Teach Them,” examining the practical tools used to explain metrics to students.
• Hal Vincent served as a panelist in a session titled “Generating the Nexus: The Student-run Firm as an Integrative Learning Solution to Broadcast and Video Pedagogy.” The session, which included several current directors of student-run firms, discussed the challenges and benefits of establishing on-campus agencies.

Also of note, Jessica Rapfogel ’19, a cinema and television arts and communication design double major, created this year’s BEA festival logo.