SVG/NACDA Honor Best in College Sports Video During 10th-Annual College Sports Media Awards

The 2018 CSMA ceremony touched on importance of storytelling and relationships

The Sports Video Group (SVG) and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) joined forces on Thursday night to honor the best in college-sports-video production during the 10th-annual College Sports Media Awards, sponsored by Ross Video.

More than 400 entries were submitted for consideration in five categories (Live Game Production; Live Non-Game Production; Program Series; Special Feature; and Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign) across four divisions (National Networks, Regional/Local Networks and Production Companies, Collegiate Athletics, and Collegiate Student).

Hosted by NCAA.com and Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz, the CSMA ceremony capped Day 1 of SVG’s College Sports Summit at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta. Katz kicked off the ceremony with a reflection on the importance of relationships, a theme that would factor prominently throughout the evening. In addition to advising the many students in attendance on “building trust with your sources, making sure that you’re dealing in the truth, and making sure that you’re fair,” he encouraged everyone to embrace new ways of telling stories.

“You’ve all done a phenomenal job of adapting with the current technology,” said Katz. “It’s something that those in my generation and above [are finding]: if you don’t get on this train, you’re certainly going to be left behind. I want to commend all the great work that we’re going to see tonight, because there’s so much great storytelling and great work that’s going on out there. I think the media is far from dead; I think we’re thriving, it’s just in a different form.”

KSU, UCF, Texas Tech Take Home First-Time Honors
The CSMA stage is particularly exciting for first-time winners, and this year’s edition was no exception. Kennesaw State University, located less than 20 miles from the Omni Hotel, took home its first pyramid, in the Outstanding Program Series category, for its series The Hoot.

Clemson University’s Rick Bagby accepting the SVG College Pioneer Award

“It’s an honor to receive this award on behalf of the other students that I used to work with at KSU, as well as our staff,” said Jeremy Walts. “We had a unique challenge in the first couple years that I was a student at KSU and then working as a contractor: we didn’t have football, so how do we build a culture? I want to thank our athletic department and my immediate boss, Matt Sims, for giving us as students a lot of freedom. It’s an honor to receive this on behalf of KSU, and it was an honor to help build that program over the last few years.”

UCF and Texas Tech also notched first-ever wins, in the Outstanding Program Series and Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign categories, respectively.

Longhorn Network, Ball State, St. Cloud State Continue To Dominate
No strangers to the CSMA stage, Longhorn Network took home three statues this evening in the Regional/Local Networks and Production Companies division and secured its spot atop the all-time CSMA leaderboard, with 16 awards.

Texas A&M’s Andy Richardson accepting the SVG College Technology Leadership Award with his 12th Man Productions team

Over the past seven years, Ball State Sports Link has earned top Collegiate Student honors in the Outstanding Special Feature Category six times and took home its ninth pyramid tonight. Tyler Bradford was quick to pay tribute to the instructors of Ball State Sports Link, including Senior Director, Digital Sports Production, Chris Taylor, last year’s SVG College Pioneer Award recipient.

“At Ball State, we’re very fortunate to have resources and people in place that are invested into features, invested into storytelling, and that starts first and foremost with our instructors,” said Bradford. “Although, by title, they are professors and directors, I think we would align the term friend, brother, and mentor. They’re the ones that put together opportunities for us, who foster chances to learn. They’re the ones that, when we have an idea, say, ‘Let’s do it.’”

St. Cloud State also took home its ninth pyramid in the 10-year history of the CSMA, for its production of Husky Faceoff in the Outstanding Live Non-Game Production category.

Auburn, BYUtv Secure Three-Peat
For the third year in a row, Auburn University’s War Eagle Productions and BYUtv won the CSMA for Outstanding Live Game Production in the Collegiate Athletics and Regional/Local Networks and Production Companies Division, respectively.

Mikel Minor, who accepted two statues for BYUtv during the ceremony, reflected on his career in live sports production.

“I love this category,” he said. “This is where I got my start in this business, sitting in a TV truck doing live events, so it’s near and dear to my heart. The really cool opportunity about working at a university is the ability to pay it forward to young people that are just getting into this industry, to see how excited they get about working nights, weekends, and holidays and loving it, and loving the fact that you can orchestrate something like an overtime game and going off-script. That’s the adrenaline rush of this business.”

All About the Storytelling
At its core, the CSMAs are all about great storytelling. From the Collegiate Athletics division all the way up to the National Networks division, all honorees paid tribute to the subjects of their stories and to the relationships that helped them tell those stories.

CBS Sports Coordinator Producer Craig Silver accepted the award for Outstanding Live Game Production by a National Network.

“I want to thank my amazing team at Crimson Tide Productions. I would not be able to do this without them,” said M.C. Brophy, who accepted one of University of Alabama/Crimson Tide Productions’ two CSMAs tonight. “This is the reason why I do what I do: for a video like this, to promote athletics and show how incredible it can be.”

Accepting the final statue of the night, Outstanding Live Game Production for a National Network, CBS Sports Coordinating Producer Craig Silver took time to reflect on Loyola Chicago’s improbable Final Four run before turning his attention to the students in the room.

“Every time you pick up a camera or a microphone, go to an edit room, sit in a truck, you’re representing those letters on your chest, you’re representing yourself. But, most important, no matter how big or small the production, there’s somebody out there watching, and they care about that team and those players more than anything else in the world,” he said. “It’s your duty to cover it and present it in the best way possible. “I’ve had the great honor of being here last year and this year, and, from what I can tell, the present is terrific, and the future is even brighter because of all of you.”

The SVG College Pioneer and Technology Leadership Awards were also given out during the 2018 CSMA ceremony, honoring Clemson University’s Rick Bagby and Texas A&M University’s 12th Man Productions, respectively.

College Sports Media Awards winners and finalists are selected by a blue-ribbon panel of industry peers and celebrate the very best in college-sports-video production. For more information on the SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards, visit www.svgcollege.com. Stay tuned to sportsvideo.org for full video recaps and acceptance speeches from the ceremony in the coming days.

2018 SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA

WINNERS

OUTSTANDING LIVE GAME PRODUCTION

NATIONAL NETWORKS

Turner Sports/CBS Sports | Men’s Basketball – 2018 NCAA March Madness Tournament

REGIONAL/LOCAL NETWORKS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

BYUtv Sports | Men’s Basketball – San Francisco vs. BYU

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Auburn University (War Eagle Productions) | Women’s Gymnastics – Auburn vs. Kentucky

COLLEGIATE STUDENT

University of Alabama (Crimson Tide Productions) | Softball – Samford vs. Alabama

OUTSTANDING LIVE NON-GAME PRODUCTION

NATIONAL NETWORKS

ESPN | College Football Playoff Top 25

REGIONAL/LOCAL NETWORKS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

BYUtv Sports | BYU Basketball With Dave Rose

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

University of Notre Dame (Fighting Irish Media) | National Signing Day 2018

COLLEGIATE STUDENT

St. Cloud State University (Husky Productions) | Husky Faceoff

OUTSTANDING PROGRAM SERIES

NATIONAL NETWORKS

Pac-12 Networks | The Drive: Pac-12 Football – 2017 Season

REGIONAL/LOCAL NETWORKS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Longhorn Network | Texas GameDay

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

University of Central Florida | KnightFlix: A Season With USF Football

COLLEGIATE STUDENT

Kennesaw State University | The Hoot – Kennesaw State

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL FEATURE

NATIONAL NETWORKS

Turner Sports/CBS Sports | NCAA Final Four Feature – Loyola 1963

REGIONAL/LOCAL NETWORKS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Longhorn Network | Orphan No More

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

University of San Francisco | Behind the Mask – Joey’s Journey

COLLEGIATE STUDENT

Ball State University (Ball State Sports Link) | Failure Is Not an Option

OUTSTANDING PROMOTION, PSA, TEASE, OR MARKETING CAMPAIGN

NATIONAL NETWORKS

Fox Sports | Fox Promo: Every Game Is Everything

REGIONAL/LOCAL NETWORKS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Longhorn Network | 2018 Longhorn Network Texas GameDay Campaign

COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Texas Tech University | Texas Tech Football 2017 Open

COLLEGIATE STUDENT

University of Alabama (Crimson Tide Productions) | Alabama Gymnastics: Auburn Meet Trailer

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