February 17, 2011

EIU students win video production contest with $10,000 prize

Video Contest winners

Watch the Commercial

Two EIU Communication Studies majors teamed up to win first place in a statewide video production competition with a $10,000 prize.

Gabe Przygoda (junior from Charleston) and Dustin Tylman (junior from Charleston) were named the winners of the first ever "Ready Illinois College Challenge."  The contest, sponsored by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA), challenged Illinois college students to create and produce a 30 second TV spot promoting earthquake awareness and the state's Ready Illinois website.

Gabe and Dustin will each receive $4,000 for the winning entry.  The EIU Communication Studies Department will receive $2,000.  The winning team was mentored by Fred Peralta, a video production instructor in the Communication Studies Department as well as a Producer/Director at WEIU-TV. 

In the winning spot, characters in family photos hanging on a wall come to life after an earthquake rattles them.  The commercial will begin airing on nearly 30 TV stations around the state as part of IEMA's preparedness broadcast campaign.  The main purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness of the state's emergency preparedness website, Ready.illinois.gov.