SVG, NACDA Honor Recipients of 0 College Sports Media Awards

Selected from a record number of submissions, the College Sports Media Awards winners were announced last night during a ceremony at the Sports Video Group's College Sports Summit in Atlanta. Now in their fifth year, the CSMAs sponsored by Ross Video and presented by SVG and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) recognize the best in video production at all levels of college sports: student productions, athletic departments, regional networks, and national networks.

Before announcing the winners, SVG honored Florida State's Mark Rodin with the second-annual SVG College Sports Summit Pioneer Award. Rodin, who was presented the award by last year's inaugural recipient, UCLA's Ken Norris, was touched by the recognition.

I am humbled and honored to be named the Pioneer Award recipient this year by the Sports Video Group, he said. To be recognized by your peers and colleagues is the highest honor you can receive in this industry, so I thank you.

Rodin, who has spent more than 20 years with Florida State University and currently serves as director of Seminole Productions, has developed a reputation throughout the industry for his forward thinking and his risk-taking approach to broadcast technology and video production.

Throughout my career at Florida State, as I look back on a lot of the decisions and the choices I've made, there's probably some I would have done differently, but one thing I never did regret was being the first to try something, he continued. Does it require more work? Absolutely. Does it always work out? Not always I think, when you work at a place you love with people you love to work with, it really doesn't feel like work.

The College Sports Media Awards received more submissions than ever before 28% more than last year nominating 92 productions in four categories: live game or event production; program series; promo, PSA, or video marketing campaign; and special feature. Each category is divided into four classifications: national networks and professional, regional sports networks and local cable providers, collegiate athletics, and collegiate students.

This is the hardest year we've had in terms of judging, noted College Sports Summit Chairman Tom Buffolano. Everybody in the room who's submitted, even if you didn't get nominated, thank you for helping us move the industry forward, because that's exactly what we're doing here.

Fox Sports took home the CSMA for its production of Texas at Oklahoma State football, and Longhorn Network was recognized for its presentation of Texas Tech vs. Texas baseball.

Accepting for Men's Ice Hockey St. Cloud State vs. Alaska-Anchorage, St. Cloud State's Matthew Szymanski thanked his school's team both on the ice and off for a great season, and Southland Conference's Chris Mycoskie recognized the role the fans played in his CSMA win.

Thank you first of all to our great host for that tournament, Central Arkansas, said Mycoskie, accepting for the Southland Conference's production of the Women's Volleyball Championships. [With] the Bears reaching the championship game, there was an incredible atmosphere in that gym, and we were fortunate enough to be able to bring that to our viewers.

In accepting the CSMA for Special Feature, both ESPN and the Longhorn Network dedicated the award to the subject of the production. ESPN's production was a touching portrayal of two brothers in Fist Bump: A Brotherly Bond, while the Longhorn Network paid tribute to football player Alex Silver.

We can't tell these stories without the help of people who've endured these stories, said Ben Hobbs, who served as supervising producer for Alex Silver. The Silver family Alex, who's going through non-Hodgkins lymphoma; his mother, who went through breast cancer they're the ones who this trophy belongs to.

Northern Illinois University won for its entertaining and, no doubt, challenging NIU Athletics Lipdub. Students from perennial winner Ball State Sports Link recognized Director of Digital Sports Chris Taylor for his accomplishments with the program.

[Chris] is the last person to accept recognition, but he's the one behind all of this, said Josh Blessing, accepting the award for Finding Refuge. We've grown so much in the past couple years. This program started with eight students and one camera, and it's grown. This fall, it's going to be a digital-sports-production office.

The CSMA for program series once again recognized Fox Sports South which took home three awards throughout the evening as well as the University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Fox Sports South accepted the CSMA for Under the Lights ; Oklahoma, for Sooner Sports Pad ; and Texas A&M for Welcome to the SEC.

Bill Friedman, senior producer for studio and original programming for Big Ten Network, accepted on behalf of BTN's The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2013 and took time to recognize the efforts of his fellow nominees.

I think it's great for all different levels to be recognized for their hard work and the good work that we [all] do, he said. I'd just like to thank my team that's put this show together; it's a team, but it's a labor of love for us.

The evening's final category recognized promotions, PSAs, and video marketing campaigns. J. Stern, a fixture at the SVG College Sports Summit as well as the College Sports Media Awards, received his first CSMA for the University of Mississippi's Ole Miss Football Team Intro.

Befitting the Atlanta location, CBS Sports took home the CSMA for its 2013 Final Four Tease, and Fox Sports South accepted for The NEW College Football Show: Bates and Bowden Campaign.

Valerie Gerfin, who recently graduated from the University

LINK:	http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2013/05/30/svg-nacda-honor-recipients...
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