Communication students win Silver Telly Award for PSA

Rachel Carman and Mikaela Graf filmed a PSA on the dangers of alcohol consumption. (Screenshot from award-winning PSA entitled “A Future Reflected,” courtesy of Rachel Carmen)

By Clara Sorrow | Staff writer

The Telly Awards, a member-judged public awards program for TV and video, has recently come and gone, granting two Augusta University students silver awards for their social video, titled, “A Future Reflected.”

Rachel Carman and Mikaela Graf both credited as student producers, were students of the COMM 3030 Audiovisual Media Production class where the creation of this video was facilitated.

The 30-second video functions as a PSA warning of a common cause of liver cancer, among six other cancers that are also affected by this, – alcohol consumption. The video was originally created for the Georgia Cancer Center as a part of the Cancer Education Video PSA Interdisciplinary Collaboration. The program, now 10 years old, has worked to inform the current collegiate generation about substance abuse and the dangers that come with it. 

The program also works to give students real-world experience in videography, storytelling, comedy and creating harmony in visual media.

Graf has graduated since the reception of this award and Carman is an upcoming senior at AU.

When asked about the process of creating the video, Carman said that it was both “challenging and rewarding.”

“We worked tirelessly, putting in long hours and overcoming obstacles to ensure that every scene was shot to perfection,” she explained.

This, combined with the grueling process that editing film can be, turned the video into the award-winner it is today.

Carman said that she was “ecstatic” about the Telly nomination.

“We believe that our nomination was a result of the combination of factors – a powerful message, strong storytelling, compelling visuals and a talented team that worked cohesively to bring it all together,” she said.

She credits communication professor Arthur Takahashi who taught the class in which the video was created. The current teacher of the class is communication professor Travis Cronan. Takahashi also won a Silver Telly himself for Best Use of 2D Animation in Non-Broadcast with his the work titled “Tame the Monster.”

Takahashi provided additional insight into the success of the pair’s video.

“They mentioned they had a technical issue the first time they shot their project and had to reshoot their scenes,” he said. ‘The fact that they took the time to restart their project from scratch shows how much they care about the quality of their work.”

He said their final PSA was something to be proud of, finishing his glowing review of their work by stating, “I certainly am proud of what they have accomplished.”

Carman also credited Christine O’Meara, who created and has organized the PSA program at the Georgia Cancer Center, as “truly invaluable” to its success. O’Meara provides resources that the students can use and general guidelines, but lets them take off from there.

With 250 videos being produced under the program, 79 of those have received awards. One of the biggest selling points for the videos that helps them pick a winner is the persuasive aspect of the video.

Referring specifically to Carmen and Graf’s video, O’Meara said, “I thought the video was pretty effective. The technical aspects – they did very well.”

She specifically noted the emotion in the video from Carman that made the announcement so persuasive.

“It was a personal story,” she said. “That story meant a lot to her and you can see it in the way and in the passion that they approached the video.”

O’Meara described the process of creating these videos not only as an educational endeavor but also as an experiential project. These videos and awards are pieces that students can take with them after college to go on portfolios and/or resumes.

This is certainly the case for Carman and Graf.

“Winning this award has further motivated me to continue pursuing my passion for filmmaking and storytelling,” Carman said about the PSA’s accomplishment. ‘I hope to create more impactful content in the future and contribute to raising awareness on important issues that affect our society.”

The Cancer Center will continue this PSA project in the fall with a new prompt within the topic of cancer.

Referring to the PSAs, O’Meara concluded, “It’s good for the students, and it’s good for our community.”

Carman and Graf’s PSA, as well as all former PSA winners, can be found here:

Arthur Takahashi’s video, “Tame the Monster,” is available to view here: 

Contact Clara Sorrow at csorrow@augusta.edu.