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Success as Clear as Crystal: The School of Communication's 2022 Crystal Pillar Award Winners

This year, Loyola School of Communication (SOC) students received eight nominations and three Crystal Pillar awards for their video productions at a recent ceremony hosted by the Chicago/ Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The nominees were chosen from many more entries in the regional contest and were judged by television professionals from other markets around the country. Out of all the productions submitted, SOC was the only school with student projects nominated for a Crystal Pillar award in the C-6 Category: Public Service Announcements/Ads.

In the category of College Student Production-Public Service Announcement/Commercial, Crystal Pillar awards were given to SOC students Laura Godoy Figuera, Joshua Miller, and Asia Singleton. They won the award for their advertisement, “Get Vaccinated,” educating and encouraging locals to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. The PSA they created with the Maywood Fine Arts and the COVID Equity Response Collaborative Loyola. Their work was guided by Professor John Goheen. You can view their post-award interview at the awards ceremony here.

Winning a Crystal Pillar in Short Form Non-Fiction was Mary Rose Hefner. Her story, “For Me, Forgiveness,” explored the realities of forgiveness as a survivor of sexual assault, contrasting philosophies with personal self-discoveries throughout the healing journey. She produced the work with guidance from Professor Richelle Rogers.

The final award went to Henry Martin for his Arts and Entertainment/Cultural Affairs production, “How Jeff Lynn Got Those Fat Sounding Drums” The video was produced for a course taught and led by Professor Elizabeth Coffman. It centers on the Electric Light Orchestra who dominated the late 1970s charts with unforgettable pop music like "Mr. Blue Sky" and "Evil Woman". In the piece, Martin delves into "Don't Bring Me Down", one of ELOs hit songs, exploring what makes the sound so addictive.

Five other SOC entries were finalists for Crystal Pillar awards, including work by students Sabrina Balsink Krieg, Tim Mackle, Rachel Marsden, Olivia McClure, Liam Smart, Makenzie Creden, Molly Hunter, Genevieve Crawford, PJ McMahon, Mary Dixon, Matthew Fink, Calia Marso, Kobey Davis, Jacqueline Southwell, Lily Chen, Makenzie Creden, Gabe Paredes, Sydney Williams, Jacqueline Davis, and Tanvi Soans.