VCU news

By Lauren Stewart
Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture

VCU’s School of Mass Communications, which is part of the College of Humanities and Sciences, was represented well at this year’s National Capital and Chesapeake Bay Emmy Awards with several alumni taking home the golden statues for their superior performance and dedication to the television industry.

Among the highlights for VCU was the success of alumnus Bryce Spivey, a freelance videographer, who took home three Emmys, including one for producing and filming the “VCU Invest In Me” commercial. Spivey worked on the commercial with fellow VCU alumni Jesse Vaughan, who shared videography and editing duties; Michael Andrews, director of annual giving at VCU; and Melanie Seiler, senior director of development and alumni communications. Andrews and Seiler wrote and edited the script for the commercial.

“Think about that. That out of all the commercials to air in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, that the VCU commercial won,” said Spivey. “That’s significant.”

Spivey, who was nominated for eight Emmys and has won a total of four in his career, has stayed humble throughout the experience.

“I’m definitely proud of these accomplishments because some people never win an Emmy their whole career,” said Spivey. “But I don’t measure success in awards or money. It’s about finding a balance to be able to make a living and grow professionally while also striving to live a happier life.”

Eric Blackstock, an 11 p.m. producer at NBC’s WWBT-TV Channel 12, and Monique Wright, former director at Channel 12 and currently a director at the Christian Broadcasting Network, each took home an Emmy for their weekend newscast covering the severe derecho storm that ripped through the Central Virginia region in June 2012. Blackstock graduated from the School of Mass Communications in 2010, and Wright is a 2008 graduate.

“As Virginia’s governor declared a state of emergency, the NBC12 weekend team sprang into action, delivering on our ‘On Your Side’ promise to viewers: providing details on storm cleanup, cooling shelters, power restoration efforts and another line of approaching storms which would later spawn a tornado,” states the official synopsis for the award-winning program.

“Just being nominated was awesome,” said Wright. “It was exciting to be there with the people I work closely with on the weekend. I’ve been working on the weekend shows for six years, and being the only director for the weekend for two years it’s nice having all the hard work I’ve done over the years being recognized.”

Producers and directors typically don’t flash their names across their commercials and newscasts. Instead, they are behind the scenes working tireless hours creating what boils down to only a few moments of airtime – which is why when these professionals are recognized for their achievements, the ceremony is even more special.

“It’s really nice to get recognition for what we do on the weekend,” said Blackstock. “The shift presents a unique set of challenges not found Monday through Friday. Our team works so incredibly hard, and this is very much their win, too.”

Phil Karstetter, assistant editor at M2 Pictures and a 2010 Mass Communications alumnus, won his first Emmy for a piece he created while working at CBS’s WTVR-TV Channel 6, featuring his great-uncle in a first-person report on the JFK assassination.

“My favorite part was the family tie with the story,” said Karstetter. “It’s a really great feeling, especially when it’s something related to your family. It made winning that much more special on Father’s Day.”

When asked what advice Wright and Blackstock would give to current students who dream of walking the red carpet at the Emmys, the theme of their response was believe in yourself and learn as much as you can.

“My advice to students is: whatever your dream is, go for that and don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re not good enough to do anything you want to do,” said Wright. “I never thought in a million years that I would win an Emmy. To me it was just the people on air who could win.”

Blackstock said: “The staff at Mass Comm are incredible. I’ve never seen such a great group of individuals who support and care about their students as much as they do. So take advantage of everything you can in that school because you never know where it’s going to lead.”

http://news.vcu.edu/news/VCUs_Invest_in_Me_Commercial_Wins_Regional_Emmy

 

Subscribe for free to the weekly VCU News email newsletter at http://newsletter.news.vcu.edu/ and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox every Thursday.