The Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Student Production Awards were announced at a ceremony on Sunday, April 10, 2016, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Bethany Lutheran College produced Maverick Hockey Weekend (MHW) received a Student Crystal Pillar Award for Newscast Excellence from the Upper Midwest Emmy® Chapter/Foundation in the category of College – Sports: Live Event.
MHW is the show name for all productions associated with Minnesota State Hockey. MHW broadcasts over 35 men’s and women’s hockey home games per season and also operates the state-of-the-art Daktronics video board at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato, Minnesota. MHW just completed its 15th broadcasting season.
Director Paul Riediger (senior) and Producer David Schuyler (junior) attended the awards.
“The awards ceremony was very exciting,” said Schuyler. “It’s one thing to say that 40 schools had been nominated, and it’s another thing entirely to see them all gathered in the ballroom. The anticipation of waiting for your category to be called is really quite surreal. It truly was an honor to be a part of such a great event!”
This is the third time BLC Studios has received a Student Crystal Pillar award. This year, NATAS– Upper Midwest Chapter received more than 260 entries from 40 different high schools and colleges/universities from across our region, which covers Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Students compete in 20 categories.
“It is a great honor to receive this Student Crystal Pillar Award. Our students pushed themselves all season long to put out a professional-looking product and to be recognized by NATAS is a great achievement,” commented Studio Manager Greg Vandermause.
Vandermause remarked that Riediger and Schuyler set the tone for the broadcast. “We ask a lot of our leaders, and Paul and David do a great job of motivating their fellow crew members and continually look to improve the broadcast.”
“It’s really nice to see all of our hard work amount to something,” said Schuyler. “Receiving this Crystal Pillar is super rewarding. It is a great accomplishment for us.”
###
MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lance Schwartz at 507-344-7427 or by email at lance.schwartz@blc.edu.