The Southeastern Channel has been honored with national, international and regional awards including some Emmy’s and Telly Awards. The channel can now add two more trophies to its collection, awarded by the Telly Awards.

May of 2018 marked the 39th annual holding of the Telly Awards in which one of the university’s telecourses, “Earth and Space Science 102,” received recognition with two bronze Telly’s for “Editing” and “Use of Graphics.”

The Telly Awards, founded in 1979, is an annual video contest in which a panel of judges goes through submitted pieces and acknowledges exceptional quality in videos and television. The judges include a group of over 200 working industry leaders who have previously won the Telly Awards highest accolade.

Sabrina Dridje, the managing director at The Telly Awards, explained why the awards are important.

“This history and legacy is incredibly important to us as we have witnessed the huge advancements and shifts in the industry both in terms of the work that is being made but also the creatives at the forefront of that,” said Dridje. “Our importance today lies very much in both that history and in our present recognition of all video and television made for all screens.”

According to Dridje, the contest honors the best of video and television across all screens.

“This holds true regardless of who made the work, large company or independent creator,” shared Dridje. “The goal is to be a platform for excellent work whether that be branded content, short form documentary or videos made for social platforms.”

Dridje acknowledged that the Telly Awards honor uniqueness.

“We aim to ensure our categories reflect all facets of what it takes to produce a piece whether that’s the 2D animation used in an ad or the 360 audio used in a VR film,” explained Dridje.

Jamie Bass, telecourse producer and editor, described what it was like to receive the recognition.

“It feels great to be recognized for my achievements by such an esteemed organization,” shared Bass. “Receiving a Telly Award is highly prestigious. It confirms that your work is on par with some of the best in the business.”

Stephanie Welch, the lecturer who instructed the session in the telecourse, expressed that Bass’ achievement aided in “creating awareness of the ESSC telecourses.” She also feels that Bass did an “outstanding job on all of the telecourse lectures.”

Honors for the telecourse maintained a series of almost 400 national, international and regional awards for the Southeastern Channel.

“The Southeastern Channel has always been known for producing multi-award-winning content,” said Bass. “So, it feels very good to be a part of that legacy. It further demonstrates that we continue to stand with the best in the industry.”

According to Bass, the contest rewards inventiveness that promotes positive qualities in individuals.

“In a very competitive industry, The Telly Awards are a way of gauging a professional level of creativity,” informed Bass. “Since the Tellys are judged by peers in the industry, the awards are given out after very careful consideration to a multitude of criteria. I believe this encourages healthy competition and growth within ourselves to be better with each project.”