University Communications wins two awards for bison story & video
University Communications wins two awards for bison story & video
CASE stands for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. It’s a national public relations organization that supports education professionals in areas of advancement and communications. The awards were won in CASE’s Southeast District III category.
These are the first awards Georgia College has won from CASE.
“This is an incredible honor for the University Communications office at Georgia College,” said Alan Weston, interim associate vice president for Strategic Communications and director of Marketing and Publications.
“It is a testament to the hard work of all involved with the project,” Weston said. “We take great pride in telling the amazing stories that occur on our vibrant campus, and we’re proud to have elite-level communications professionals who represent us so well.”
The bison story was written by Cindy O’Donnell, media relations specialist at Georgia College. The video was filmed and edited by alumnus and former broadcast and video staff member, Michael Gillett, ’14 , ’20. The awards were for Best Writing: News/Feature (1,000+ words) and Best Video: News and Research.
The story and video posted on Front Page in August 2022. They tell a story about the paleontological dig in Brunswick headed by Biology Professor Dr. Al Mead. He’s a paleomammalogist who studies ecosystems of the past and the state’s sole expert on fossilized mammal bones.
Mead’s dig spans more than 20 years of work and is the only excavation of its kind in Georgia.
The award application reads: The Georgia College & State University bison package was a unique opportunity to tell a story that not only celebrated the human element—reflecting well on our biology faculty and students—but delved into a subject most people would find interesting: the unlikely unearthing of bison and mammoth bones in the swampy, seaside marshes of Southeastern Georgia.
It's a story of discovery, perseverance and collaboration among universities, as well as climate change and survival.
For this package, a small team (writer and video producer) were sent overnight to the dig site in Brunswick, Georgia. The extra effort produced show-not-tell details in the writing, while giving the video specialist opportunity to capture the dirt and sweat nature of the dig.
The carefully crafted writing was supplemented by photos, video and social media. This helped entice media beyond the Central Georgia area. In addition to pictures and polished video, the press release included 3 minutes of raw footage for TV use.
The newswire was picked up by more than 350 news outlets with a potential audience of 186 million. The press release garnered the usual flurry of regional media—like 13WMAZ’s package—but was also picked up by state newspapers like the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Savannah Morning News.
The story was shared on Facebook, Instagram and Linked-In, generating more than 12,000 impressions and 5200 views. There were an additional 2,000 views on Vimeo. To date, the story has nearly 2,500 views on Front Page.
In announcing the award, Hope Carter, chair for CASE District III, wrote: “You are one of dozens of CASE members in our District being recognized for extraordinary work. Your creative and innovative ideas will serve as inspiration for countless others in the months and years ahead. On behalf of everyone who will benefit, we thank you.”
Case District III Awards will be presented at a conference dinner in February 2024 in Orlando, Florida.