Quirky promotional Webisodes earn accolades

By Leila Ugincius

Virginia Commonwealth University's student-run television production operation has received a coveted award in an international competition for its humorous promos.

The Accolade Competition awarded VCU-TV/HD an honorable mention in the humor/humorist category for two Webisodes the students created to promote their operation.

Judged by fellow writers, directors and producers, the awards honor television producers who demonstrate outstanding craft and creativity.

The award is an important one for the student production unit, which is eager to boost its viewership. The Accolades generate buzz and exposure, helping its winners attain recognition and viewers.

"Everything we can do to drive people to our Web site is a worthy cause and to be rewarded in this way is great," said VCU-TV/HD Executive Producer Dan Brazda. "This is the first time we have entered any of our work in competition, so we're off to an awesome start."

The winning Webisodes feature a tongue-in-cheek look behind the scenes at the production unit.

"The Webisodes are designed to use humor to drive a college audience to our Web site," Brazda said. "The Internet is the future of visual entertainment and we want to stay on the cutting edge."

Inspired by the tone of the NBC show "The Office" ("We ... ahem … 'borrowed' the idea from them," Brazda notes), the first episode finds the students dealing with the arrival of "The new boss" — Lisa Figueroa, senior producer and recently a fellow student herself — and pondering the existence of the elusive Brazda.

Two more episodes are already in the works and a "hidden" bonus episode has been posted to YouTube.

VCU TV/HD is one of the first student-run operations in the country to produce TV programming in high-definition format. The students do it all from preproduction through postproduction.

Its regular 30-minute programs are produced in cinéma vérité, non-narrative style, and have gone everywhere from behind-the-scenes at the VCU Medical Center's Level-1 trauma center to exploring the local music scene.

A partnership with Community Idea Stations, owned by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting, allows VCU TV/HD to air programs on a regular schedule over WCVW Richmond PBS.

Brazda and his crew hope the Accolade is just the start to a long succession of awards. Next stop: the Emmys, where they plan to enter their full-length programs.

As for new Webisodes, while there's no set production schedule, new episodes are produced whenever inspiration hits — "which is often with this group," Brazda said. "How will people know when a new one is posted? Check our Web site every day!"