GHS-TV Students Win Six "Student Emmys" | Schools

            Another big day in Nashville pushed the students of Germantown Community Television to a landmark total of “Student Emmy” awards. The student-run television station equaled the best day ever at the regional ceremony, winning six pillars. The program’s six first-place wins this year ties a record it set just last year, and give it a total of 40 regional awards since the ceremony began 10 years ago.

            GHS-TV saw 19 projects nominated at the 10th Annual Mid-South Regional Student Television Awards, held April 20 at Watkins College of Art, Design and Film in Nashville. The ceremony is presented by the regional chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the organization that presents television’s coveted Emmy awards. The Mid-South region covers schools throughout Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina. This year the Academy received a record number of entries. Even with the increased competition, GHS-TV still won over a third of the categories – more than any other school in the region. GHS-TV has won five first-place awards twice before. GHS-TV won two national awards, before the organization stopped giving national honors in 2009.

            GHS-TV’s first-place awards came in the categories of Newscast, Light News, Arts & Entertainment, Audio/Sound, Directing and Talent. Honorable mentions were awarded to GHS-TV projects in Serious News, Light News, Arts & Entertainment, Long Form Non-Fiction, Sports, Public Affairs, Editing and Talent. In all, GHS-TV earned six first-place awards and 13 honorable mentions.

            GHS-TV’s morning news show, Wake Up, Germantown! received first-place in the Newscast category. Students honored for this production were Joe Carter, Melanie Culhane, Avery Franklin, Lucy Fulliton, Collin Hutsell, Drew Murley, Lindsey Pierce, Hunter Reid, Anna Smith, Kya Wash-Hill, Robbie Weaver and Zoe Zelonky.

            GHS-TV took first-place and two honorable mentions for Light News. Collin Hutsell won with his report about GHS student David Andrews and his special relationship with his medical canine. Hutsell also worked on the two projects earning honorable mention in this category: Lucy Fulliton’s report about GHS principal Dr. Ted Horrell’s time as a student and teacher at Germantown; and Avery Franklin’s feature about the Germantown Festival’s 9/11 memorial parade.

            For Arts & Entertainment, GHS-TV received a first-place and an honorable mention. The winning project was Zoe Zelonky and Juan Reyes’ report on the Poplar Pike Playhouse’s world premiere musical Changing Minds. An honorable mention went to Joe Carter and Collin Hutsell’s creative take on the Germantown Festival’s “Running of the Weenies.”

            GHS-TV won its first ever award in the Audio/Sound category. This honor went to Cody Crumpler for his technical work on the short film Paranormal Joe Activity. In another technical honor, Collin Hutsell was awarded first-place in the Directing category for a compilation of his work for Germantown Community Television.

            The students of GHS-TV took full advantage of one of the newest categories, Talent. Marinela Zubovic won this category for her work on Crosstalk, Live Coverage of the 2011 Germantown Festival and Wake Up, Germantown!. Taking honorable mentions were Melanie Culhane, Avery Franklin and Lindsey Pierce.

             Ashley Grubb and Collin Hutsell claimed an honorable mention in Serious News for their report on the NBA Lockout. Lindsey Pierce, Robbie Weaver, Hutsell, Emily Wolfe and Zac Leonard earned an honorable mention in Long Form Non-Fiction for their documentary on the Trustmark charity horse statue renovation. Honorable mentions in Sports went to Maria Signore and Cody Crumpler for their report on the Eden 5k and Avery Franklin, Robbie Weaver and Drew Murley for their work on Wake Up, Germantown!. For Public Affairs, honorable mentions went to Hutsell for his video A Troubled Life and to Melanie Culhane for her report on a mentoring book club at Collierville Elementary. Crumpler won an honorable mention in Editing for his work on Paranormal Joe Activity.

            Established in 1982, GHS-TV serves as the community television station for the city of Germantown. The station cablecasts 750 hours of diverse programming each month to Germantown citizens - seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Cablecast to viewers over Cable Channel 17, this student-run station reaches more than 10,000 subscribers in the Comcast system. GHS-TV serves as a model facility that continues to produce original programming, inform citizens, and educate young people interested in telecommunications careers.

            E. Frank Bluestein is the executive producer for Germantown Community Television. Bobby Ramsay is the GHS-TV Studio Supervisor. Ted Beasley, Rich Pence and Allison Rogers are the supervising producers. Catherine Cohen is the business manager. Rob Manuel serves the station as broadcast engineer. This year’s general managers are Collin Hutsell and Robbie Weaver.