Recognizing excellence in student creativity, journalism, and production skills, the Media Arts Celebration (MAC) Awards ceremony was held on May 3rd. This year marked the 15th annual awards ceremony which was founded and produced by Media and Communications Professor Joseph Manfredi.
Plaques were handed out to the winners who included:
*Television:: Best news package, TV episode, creative TV segment, interview, and SGA event coverage. The winners were Julianne Sucre, Alexa Spinelli, Nasir Fanfan, Christopher Zepeda, Jessica Janssen, Damian Goodridge, Renee DeLorenzo, Erik Darmstadt, Brandon Ortega, and Sebastian Jasinski.
*Video: Portrait of a place, documentary, and event coverage. The winners were Renee DeLorenzo, Nasir Fanfan, Christopher Zepeda, Erik Darmstadt, and Brandon Ortega.
*New Media: Audio slideshow, podcast, web portfolio, and social media engagement. The winners were Jessica Gibbs, Renee DeLorenzo, Erik Darmstadt, and Saaraa Sattaur.
*Print: Best feature story, best review, best opinion piece, and best news stories. The winners were David Paiz-Torres, Kayla Joseph, Katherine Birmingham, and Laura Francavilla.
*Radio: Best news segment, best evening promo, best station promo, most creative production, and best show. The winners were Tania D. Fils, Niklaus Feil, Damian Goodridge, Sanique Sutherland, and Noa Caines.
The judges for the MAC awards this year were Peter Bellotti from CBS Sports Radio; Andrew Bogusch, anchor for CBS Sports Radio; Dr. Ilkay Niscanci, Associate Professor from Istanbul University; Michelle Purpura, Assistant Editor at A&E Networks; and Larry Striegel, a retired Newsday editor.
Professors nominate students. Then judges from the professions evaluate the work of the nominees and choose the winners. The nominees are first revealed in the print edition of the school newspaper, The Catalyst, prior to the event and on the MAC awards website. On the evening of the ceremony, the winners are announced..
This year, the ceremony took place in the Student Union’s Panther Pad. Professors, students, and students’ families and friends attended the event.
According to Old Westbury Web Radio, the 15th MAC Awards were “technically the 16th Mac Awards, because in 2021, [they] honored two years of material.”
Refreshments were provided, and a red carpet was arranged in front of the entrance of the room for people to take photos and videos.
The master of ceremonies was Professor Manfredi who made an opening speech congratulating each professor present in the room and all the student nominees.
In a brief remark, each prize winner expressed their appreciation for being recognized for their work. Some speeches were vivid and funny, others were straightforward, and one of the speeches was delivered in Spanish.
Professor Manfredi closed the night by encouraging his students, “Never let anybody make you afraid.”
