Virginia Commonwealth University

We just got back from the Emmy awards where we were nominated for 3 documentary programs. You've all heard the phrase "it's an honor just to be nominated". Well as cliche as the phrase itself is- it is true for us. College students stick out like a sore thumb at these gatherings but we truly relished each and every awkward glance.

While we didn't walk away with any statues (but did get a great pic with Barry Levinson- will post soon), the incredibly talented students who were nominated (Alex Germanotta, Michael Bell and Xi Lin) entertained us to no end on our no-frills journey to the awards ceremony at the Ritz in DC. You can all look forward to a "webi-show-isode" (that term will make sense later) since the entire trip was documented in glorious (and sometimes not-so-glorious) HD.

We rock and so do you for "getting" us.

In yo' face suckas!

Nominated for Best Documentary: Historical was "Cinemaphiles: Byrd Theatre" (Senior Film Student Alexander Germanotta) http://www.vcutvhd.vcu.edu/shows/cinemaphiles/byrd.html
Nominated for Best Public/Current/Community Affairs Program/Special were "VCU Inside Out: Planet Bonnie" (Senior Film Student Michael Bell) http://www.vcutvhd.vcu.edu/shows/insideout/bonnie.html and "VCU Medical Center: Trauma" (previous Kinetic Imaging student Xi Lin) http://www.vcutvhd.vcu.edu/shows/medicalcenter/trauma.html.

VCU-TV/HD was the only college television facility nominated. Stay tuned for the always tacky, self-absorbed promos TV stations are known for to follow (done in our own satiric webisode style of course).

Winners will be announced in Washington, DC on June 14.

We are about to premiere our first episode of "Cinemaphiles: Student Lens". Showing HD films in their entirety produced by VCU students, the first episode is a half-hour piece by senior film student Alexander Germanotta entitled "Death". Advance apologies for the following cliche, but... You'll laugh, you'll cry. Germanotta explores the elusive subject of what happens after death, how one would like to die and the varied emotions behind it all. This film is the perfect benchmark for future film submissions. VCU students please email: djbrazda@vcu.edu with a synopsis and link to your work for consideration in this series.

VCU-TV/HD on the Shortlist for “Oscars of the Internet”

Richmond, VA – April 8, 2008 - The 12th Annual Webby Awards, today nominated VCU-TV/HD for the Best Student Online Film or Video of 2008.

Winners will be announced on May 6, 2008 and honored at a star-studded ceremony in New York City on June 9th.

Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile Websites. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, R/GA’s Chief Bob Greenberg, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.

"The Webby Awards honors the outstanding Websites that are setting the standards for the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. "VCU-TV/HD’s Webby Award nomination is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators."

From now through May 1st, online fans around the world can cast their own votes for VCU-TV/HD’s student produced “Webisodes” in The Webby People’s Voice Awards presented by Nokia at http://pv.webbyawards.com.

The 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Past Webby Award winners include Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo!, iTunes, Google, FedEx, BBC News, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, NPR, Salon Magazine, Evite, Meetup, Wikipedia, Flickr, ESPN, Comedy Central, PBS, and The Onion.

Founded in 1996, The Webby Awards are known worldwide for its famous five-word speech limit. Past headline-grabbing speechmakers include Al Gore (“Please don’t recount this vote”), Beastie Boys (“Can anyone fix my computer?”), and Prince (“Everything you think is true.”)

About VCU-TV/HD (www.vcutvhd.com)
VCU-TV/HD is a student run HiDefinition television facility at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Overseen by Executive Producer Dan Brazda and Senior Producer Lisa Figueroa, current students produce cinema verite documentaries on VCU and Richmond area stories of interest. The students also take part in tongue-in-cheek promotional “Webisodes” to help spread the word about the facility.
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 12th Annual Webby Awards received a record 9,500 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; .ORG; The Barbarian Group; Level3; Adweek; Fortune; Variety; Wired; IDG: Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.

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The VCU-TV/HD website went online February 19, 2007. For the first time we are able to compare year to year statistics and here are some results from March 2007 to March 2008:

-Total web hits are up 408%
-Average hits per day are up 407%
-Average length of session is up 250%
-Average hits per session are up 228%
-Total pageviews are up 227%

If some of the terms above are foreign to you just understand that a lotta peeps are finding our shows! Thanks to everyone who have visited us so far. You can look forward to a lot more HiDefinition programming from VCU-TV/HD in the years to come. Don't forget to download your favorite shows to your iPod or for your HiDefinition display at home.

VCU-TV/HD is all about the music. We have recently formed a coalition with Toad's Place in Richmond to shoot exclusive, live, HiDef concert footage of bands as they roll their tours through the area. Adding our documentary twist, viewers also get to see the personalities behind the music. Watch our first Toad's Place show featuring "Duchess of York" available for streaming or download for free at VCU-TV/HD.com or catch it on WCVW at 9:00pm on April 21 (check our program schedule on our website for other airings).

Don't miss indie rock favorite House of fools as well. VCU-TV/HD profiled the band and their performance during their "Live and Learn" tour one VERY hot summer night
in 2007. The show is also available for free iPod or HD download at our website or on WCVW on April 21.